Engineering expression of the heavy metal transporter MerC in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for increased cadmium accumulation.

The merC gene from the Tn21-encoded mer operon has potential uses as a molecular tool for bioremediation. It was overexpressed as the fusion proteins MerC-Sso1p or MerC-Vam3p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-MerC-Sso1p fusion proteins located primarily in the plasma membrane, although some protein was detected in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Involvement of independent mechanism upon poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation in methylmercury cytotoxicity in rat cerebellar granule cell culture.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation plays a role in repairing injured DNA, while its overactivation is involved in various diseases, including neuronal degradation. In the present study, we investigated the use of a PARP inhibitor, 3,4-dihydro-5-[4-(1-piperidinyl)butoxy]-1(2H)-isoquinolinone (DPQ), whether methylmercury-induced cell death in the primary culture of cerebellar granule cells involved PARP activation. DPQ decreased the methylmercury-induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner.