Metal binding functions of metallothioneins in the slug Arion vulgaris differ from metal-specific isoforms of terrestrial snails.

摘要: Arion vulgaris is a land-living European slug belonging to the gastropod clade of Stylommatophora. The species known as an efficient pest organism in vegetable gardening and horticulture, which may part be consequence its genetically based innate immunity, along with high ability withstand toxic metal stress by intracellular detoxification. Like many terrestrial snails, slugs possess distinct capacity for Cd accumulation their midgut gland, where stored inactivated, conferring these animals increased tolerance. Although gland fractions have been shown variably allocated between different metal-binding protein pools, depending on level environmental contamination, true metallothionein (MT) was so far never characterized from slugs. Instead, binding proteins identified were described Metallothionein-like (MTLPs). In present study, A. used model organism, order verify presence MTs experimentally metal-exposed We wanted find out if suggested similar properties metal-selective features like those previously reported helicid snails. To this aim, two MT isoform genes (AvMT1 AvMT2) extracts localized cells tissue. AvMT1 AvMT2 purified partially sequenced, analysed after recombinant expression. Eventually, we understand how much isoforms related, owing reciprocal amino acid sequence similarities, metal-specific