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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Using Expression Profiling To Understand The Effects Of Chronic Cadmium Exposure On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, Zelmina Lubovac-Pilav, Daniel M. Borras, Esmeralda Ponce, Maggie Louie Dec 2013

Using Expression Profiling To Understand The Effects Of Chronic Cadmium Exposure On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, Zelmina Lubovac-Pilav, Daniel M. Borras, Esmeralda Ponce, Maggie Louie

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Cadmium is a metalloestrogen known to activate the estrogen receptor and promote breast cancer cell growth. Previous studies have implicated cadmium in the development of more malignant tumors; however the molecular mechanisms behind this cadmium-induced malignancy remain elusive. Using clonal cell lines derived from exposing breast cancer cells to cadmium for over 6 months (MCF-7-Cd4, -Cd6, -Cd7, -Cd8 and -Cd12), this study aims to identify gene expression signatures associated with chronic cadmium exposure. Our results demonstrate that prolonged cadmium exposure does not merely result in the deregulation of genes but actually leads to a distinctive expression profile. The genes deregulated …


Chronic Cadmium Exposure Stimulates Sdf-1 Expression In An Erα Dependent Manner, Esmeralda Ponce, Natalie B. Aquino, Maggie Louie Aug 2013

Chronic Cadmium Exposure Stimulates Sdf-1 Expression In An Erα Dependent Manner, Esmeralda Ponce, Natalie B. Aquino, Maggie Louie

Collected Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Cadmium is an omnipotent environmental contaminant associated with the development of breast cancer. Studies suggest that cadmium functions as an endocrine disruptor, mimicking the actions of estrogen in breast cancer cells and activating the receptor to promote cell growth. Although acute cadmium exposure is known to promote estrogen receptor-mediated gene expression associated with growth, the consequence of chronic cadmium exposure is unclear. Since heavy metals are known to bioaccumulate, it is necessary to understand the effects of prolonged cadmium exposure. This study aims to investigate the effects of chronic cadmium exposure on breast cancer progression. A MCF7 breast cancer cell …


Absence Of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Atppc3 Increases Sensitivity Of Arabidopsis Thaliana To Cadmium, Ian R. Willick Jul 2013

Absence Of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Atppc3 Increases Sensitivity Of Arabidopsis Thaliana To Cadmium, Ian R. Willick

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and PEPC kinase (PPCK) catalyze a reaction feeding into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, increasing the production of metal-chelating organic acids. Little research has been conducted on PEPC isoenzymes in Cd-stressed plants. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) wild-type and AtPPC1 – AtPPC3 mutants, each lacking one of three PEPC isoenzymes, grown in 0, 1, or 5 µM CdCl2 were smaller and had increased AtPPC1 – AtPPC3 and AtPPCK1 – AtPPCK2 transcript abundance, relative phosphorylation, and PEPC activity, more so in roots than shoots. Concentrations of oxaloacetate, citrate and total organic acids increased with greater CdCl2 …


An Investigation Of Plant-Microbe Interactions Under Cadmium Stress In Agar-Based Medium, Hydroponics, And Soil Studies, Melanie P. Columbus Apr 2013

An Investigation Of Plant-Microbe Interactions Under Cadmium Stress In Agar-Based Medium, Hydroponics, And Soil Studies, Melanie P. Columbus

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigated plant-microbe-metal interactions at two scales: a single plant-microbe system and an agricultural rhizobacterial community. The first objective was to investigate the effectiveness of a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) on mediating cadmium stress in a plant model system. Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 was inoculated with Pseudomonas putida UW4, which in its wild type form has been reported to reduce plant stress by simultaneously metabolizing the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) with the enzyme ACC deaminase and stimulating plant growth through the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). A mutant strain that lacks ACC deaminase and a no bacteria treatment were used …


Does The Response Of Insect Herbivores To Cadmium Depend On Their Feeding Strategy?, Joanna K. Konopka, Kazushi Hanyu, Sheila Macfie, Jeremy N. Mcneil Apr 2013

Does The Response Of Insect Herbivores To Cadmium Depend On Their Feeding Strategy?, Joanna K. Konopka, Kazushi Hanyu, Sheila Macfie, Jeremy N. Mcneil

Biology Publications

Phytoremediation has been proposed for the elimination of toxic metals in soil, yet little attention has been given to the performance of insects that feed on contaminant-tolerant plants. We tested the performance of two herbivores with different feeding behaviors, the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, and the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, reared on cadmium-tolerant Brassica juncea plants that contained different concentrations of cadmium. We also tested the performance of the aphid parasitoid Aphidius colemani developing in aphids reared on plants with different levels of cadmium. The hypothesis tested was that the chewing insect would be more negatively affected …


Wintering Eiders Acquire Exceptional Se And Cd Burdens In The Bering Sea: Physiological And Oceanographic Factors, James R. Lovvorn, Merl F. Raisbeck, Lee W. Cooper, Gregory A. Cutter, Micah W. Miller, Marjorie L. Brooks, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Angela C. Matz, Cortney M. Schaefer Jan 2013

Wintering Eiders Acquire Exceptional Se And Cd Burdens In The Bering Sea: Physiological And Oceanographic Factors, James R. Lovvorn, Merl F. Raisbeck, Lee W. Cooper, Gregory A. Cutter, Micah W. Miller, Marjorie L. Brooks, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Angela C. Matz, Cortney M. Schaefer

OES Faculty Publications

During late winter (March) in the Bering Sea, levels of Se in livers and Cd in kidneys of spectacled eiders Somateria fischeri were exceptionally high (up to 489 and 312 µg g−1 dry mass, respectively). Comparison of organ and blood samples during late winter, early spring migration, and breeding suggests that the eiders’ high Se and Cd burdens were accumulated at sea, with highest exposure during winter. High exposure may have resulted from high metabolic demands and food intake, as well as concentrations in food. In the eiders’ remote wintering area, their bivalve prey contained comparable Se levels and …


Effect Of Exogenously Applied Salicylic Acid On Cadmium Chloride-Induced Oxidative Stress And Nitrogen Metabolism In Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum L.), Esra Koç, Ayşen Sülün Üstün, Nuri̇ Çeli̇k Jan 2013

Effect Of Exogenously Applied Salicylic Acid On Cadmium Chloride-Induced Oxidative Stress And Nitrogen Metabolism In Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum L.), Esra Koç, Ayşen Sülün Üstün, Nuri̇ Çeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Biology

Salicylic acid (SA) has a key role in the formation of induced systemic resistance and hypersensitive cells, but it has also been indicated to be effective in the formation of strong responses against abiotic stresses such as drought, cold, heavy metal toxicity, and osmotic stress. This study has demonstrated a connection between the total soluble protein and the nitrate reductase (NR) activity. In 20 \muM CdCl_2, 40 \muM CdCl_2 + 0.5 mM SA, and 100 \muM CdCl_2 + 0.5 mM SA treatments, on the 1st day following the treatment an increase was detected in the NR activity when compared to …


Influence Of Salicylic Acid On Phytochelatin Synthesis In Zea Mays During Cd Stress, Gabriella Szalai, Alexander Krantev, Rusina Yordanova, Losanka Petrova Popova, Tibor Janda Jan 2013

Influence Of Salicylic Acid On Phytochelatin Synthesis In Zea Mays During Cd Stress, Gabriella Szalai, Alexander Krantev, Rusina Yordanova, Losanka Petrova Popova, Tibor Janda

Turkish Journal of Botany

Presoaking maize (Zea mays) seeds in salicylic acid (SA) reduces damage caused by cadmium. In the present work the possible role of phytochelatins (PCs) in SA-mediated protection against Cd toxicity was investigated. Seeds were presoaked in 0.5 mM SA, and seedlings were grown in hydroponic solution containing 0, 0.01, 0.015, or 0.025 mM Cd. Treatment with Cd increased the PC levels in maize roots, but only slight changes were observed in the leaves. Long-term exposure to Cd decreased the phytochelatin synthase (PCS) activity in the roots and led to an increase in PCS and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in maize …


Cadmium-Induced Structural Disturbances In Pisum Sativum Leaves Are Alleviated By Nitric Oxide, Tuan Anh Tran, Valya Vassileva, Petar Petrov, Losanka Petrova Popova Jan 2013

Cadmium-Induced Structural Disturbances In Pisum Sativum Leaves Are Alleviated By Nitric Oxide, Tuan Anh Tran, Valya Vassileva, Petar Petrov, Losanka Petrova Popova

Turkish Journal of Botany

In the present study, the protective effect of nitric oxide (NO) against Cd-induced structural disturbances in pea (Pisum sativum) leaves was investigated. Cadmium treatment resulted in a decreased leaf size and thickness of the lamina, reduced intercellular spaces in the mesophyll, small pavement cells, and a high density of stomata. These abnormalities were partially or fully reversed by a simultaneous application of Cd and the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). The concentration of 1000 µM SNP was very effective in counteracting the adverse effects of Cd and resulted in leaf structural parameters close to those of the control leaves. These …