FIND ARTICLE

PLANT CELL DETOXIFICATION SYSTEM OF ORGANIC POLLUTANTS

The cell system that detoxificates organic xenobiotics comprises three stages. Each of them involves a number of enzymes that, depending on the character of the degraded organic compound, lead to its transformations. The enzymes of the first stage – bioactivation – are generally polysubstrate mono- oxygenases, flavine-containing monooxygenases (FMO), and the enzymes showing hydrolytic and oxido- reductive activity. Induction of the enzymes influenced by xenobiotic has been confirmed by the SAGE studies (Serial Analysis of Gene Expression).

PLANT METALLOTHIONEINS

Metallothioneins are low molecular weight, cysteine-rich, heavy-metal binding proteins. They are present in some Prokaryota, fungi, plants and animals. Attempts to isolate native plant proteins failed but many metallothionein genes were identified in mono- and dicotyledons and also in some gymno- sperms and algae. They are organised in small gene families, like in animals genomes and their expression is upregulated by different endo- and exogenous factors, including metal ions.

The Editorial Board
Andrzej Łukaszyk - przewodniczący, Zofia Bielańska-Osuchowska, Szczepan Biliński, Mieczysław Chorąży, Aleksander Koj, Włodzimierz Korochoda, Leszek Kuźnicki, Aleksandra Stojałowska, Lech Wojtczak

Editorial address:
Katedra i Zakład Histologii i Embriologii Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Poznaniu, ul. Święcickiego 6, 60-781 Poznań, tel. +48 61 8546453, fax. +48 61 8546440, email: mnowicki@ump.edu.pl

PBK Postępby biologi komórki