The effect of 24-epibrassinolide (24-epiBL) on seedling growth, metal uptake and accumulation were investigated in seedlings of Brassica juncea L. cv. PBR 91. Seeds of B. juncea treated with different concentrations (0, 10-7, 10-9 and 10-11 M) of 24-epiBL for 8 h were subjected to various concentrations (0, 25, 50 and 100 mg l-1) of heavy metals (Zn, Mn, Co and Ni). Seedling growth was improved...

Zinc resistance in Pseudomonas sp. strain UDG26 was inducible. Induction led to enhanced uptake of the metal. A zinc-sensitive variant (UDG86) took up significantly less metal ion than the resistant one did. The affinity of uninduced and sensitive cells to zinc was less than that of resistant, induced cells. Metal accumulation by induced cells was not inhibited by azide, while 2,4-dinitrophenol...

Cadmium uptake by nonliving and resting cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae obtained from aerobic or anaerobic cultures from pure cadmium-bearing solutions was examined. The highest cadmium uptake exceeding 70 mg Cd/g was observed with aerobic baker's yeast biomass from the exponential growth phase. Nearly linear sorption isotherms featured by higher sorbing resting cells together with metal depo...

Duodenal Fe2+ uptake is essential to body Fe2+ homeostasis, but the interaction of metals with the uptake process remains unclear. The present study compared the effects of four essential trace metals (Mn2+, Zn2+, Co2+ and Ni2+) with two toxic metals (Pb2+ and Cd2+) on Fe2+ uptake across the brush border membrane of villus-attached duodenal enterocytes. Everted rat duodenum was exposed to buffe...

Synthetic phytochelatins (ECs) are a new class of metal-binding peptides with a repetitive metal-binding motif, (Glu-Cys)(n)Gly, which were shown to bind heavy metals more effectively than metallothioneins. However, the limited uptake across the cell membrane is often the rate-limiting factor for the intracellular bioaccumulation of heavy metals by genetically engineered organisms expressing th...

The use of waste materials as organic amendments in soil remediation can affect metal solubility; this interaction will vary with the characteristics of the organic matter that is added to the soil. A pot experiment was carried out in a calcareous, metal-polluted soil, using Beta maritima L. as an indicator species for the treatment effects on metal solubility. The treatments were: fresh solid ...

Metals are essential cofactors for bio-chemical processes, including oxidative phosphorylation, gene regulation and free-radical homeostasis. Abnormalities in metal ions concentration in organisms, lead towards the eco-physiological hazards in the aquatics. In aquatic organisms, metal absorption involves transfer of metals to the circulatory system following: uptake by the apical membrane; move...