title: Biochemistry: a cadmium enzyme from a marine diatom.
abstract: The ocean biota contains a vast reservoir of genomic diversity. Here we present the sequence and preliminary characterization of a protein that is a cadmium-containing carbonic anhydrase from the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii. The existence of a cadmium enzyme in marine phytoplankton may indicate that there is a unique selection pressure for metalloenzymes in the marine environment, and our discovery provides a long-awaited explanation for the nutrient-like behaviour of cadmium in the oceans.
authors.affiliation: Biosystems Research Department, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94551-0969, USA.
authors.forename: Todd W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Mak A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Graham N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Ingrid J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Pickering
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Prince
authors.forename: François M M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Morel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002104:Cadmium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002256:Carbonic Anhydrases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017377:Diatoms / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects; D008386:Marine Biology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D014867:Water; D002256:Carbonic Anhydrases