title: Structural basis for the biological effects of Pr(III) ions: alteration of cell membrane permeability.
abstract: The biological effects of rare-earth ions on the organism have been studied using Pr3+ as a probe ion and Escherichia coli cell as a target. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation of the surface of E. coli cells shows that the presence of Pr3+ substantially changes the structure of the outer membrane. By induced coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), more Cu2+ was found in the cells grown in the presence of Pr3+, indicating changes of cell permeability. Using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Ca2+ is found on the outer surface of the original cell. It is proposed that Pr3+ can replace Ca2+ from the binding sites because of their close ionic radii and similar ligand speciality.
authors.affiliation: School of Sciences, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, People's Republic of China. liup567@163.com
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Weiying
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects*; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D011221:Praseodymium / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003300:Copper; D011221:Praseodymium