title: Sub-lethal cadmium exposure increases phytochelatin concentrations in the aquatic snail Lymnaea stagnalis.
abstract: Phytochelatins are metal-binding metabolites found in almost all plant species and some animal groups, including nematodes and annelids, where they can play an important role in detoxifying metals such as cadmium. Species from several other taxa contain a phytochelatin synthase (PCS) gene orthologue, including molluscs, indicating they may have the potential to synthesize phytochelatins. However, the presence of a gene alone does not demonstrate that it plays a functional role in metal detoxification. In the present study, we show that the aquatic snail Lymnaea stagnalis produced both penta- and heptapeptide phytochelatins (i.e. phytochelatin-2 and phytochelatin-3), and their levels increased in response to sub-lethal levels of cadmium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology & CESAM, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Gonçalves
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sf
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Davies
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sk
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: TESLA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Meston Walk, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raab
authors.affiliation: TESLA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Meston Walk, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feldmann
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3US, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kille
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology & CESAM, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loureiro
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK.
authors.forename: Spurgeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dj
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Electronic address: j.bundy@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Bundy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D054811:Phytochelatins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D054811:Phytochelatins; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases; C093784:glutathione gamma-glutamylcysteinyltransferase
keywords: Cadmium; Detoxification; Lymnaea stagnalis; Metal pollution; Phytochelatin