Tellurite reduction by Escherichia coli NDH-II dehydrogenase results in superoxide production in membranes of toxicant-exposed cells

Tellurite, the most soluble tellurium oxyanion, is extremely harmful for most microorganisms. Part of this toxicity is due to the generation of reactive oxygen species that in turn cause oxidative stress. However, the way in which tellurite interferes with cellular processes is not well understood t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biometals 2014-04, Vol.27 (2), p.237-246
Main Authors: Díaz-Vásquez, Waldo A., Abarca-Lagunas, María J., Arenas, Felipe A., Pinto, Camilo A., Cornejo, Fabián A., Wansapura, Poorna T., Appuhamillage, Gayan A., Chasteen, Thomas G., Vásquez, Claudio C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cell Biology
Cell Membrane - drug effects
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Cellular
Cellular biology
Chains
Dehydrogenase
Displays
E coli
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - cytology
Escherichia coli - drug effects
Escherichia coli - enzymology
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Genes
Life Sciences
Medicine/Public Health
Membranes
Microbiology
Microorganisms
Oxidation-Reduction
Oxidative stress
Oxidoreductases - genetics
Oxidoreductases - metabolism
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Plant Physiology
Superoxides - metabolism
Tellurium
Tellurium - metabolism
Tellurium - pharmacology
Toxicants
Toxicity
Trace elements
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Summary:Tellurite, the most soluble tellurium oxyanion, is extremely harmful for most microorganisms. Part of this toxicity is due to the generation of reactive oxygen species that in turn cause oxidative stress. However, the way in which tellurite interferes with cellular processes is not well understood to date. Looking for new cellular tellurite targets, we decided to evaluate the functioning of the electron transport chain in tellurite-exposed cells. In this communication we show that the E. coli ndh gene, encoding NDH-II dehydrogenase, is significantly induced in toxicant-exposed cells and that the enzyme displays tellurite-reducing activity that results in increased superoxide levels in vitro.
ISSN:0966-0844
1572-8773
DOI:10.1007/s10534-013-9701-8