Insights into zinc and cadmium biology in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Zinc is an essential metal that is involved in a wide range of biological processes, and aberrant zinc homeostasis is implicated in multiple human diseases. Cadmium is chemically similar to zinc, but it is a nonessential environmental pollutant. Because zinc deficiency and excess are deleterious, animals require homeostatic mechanisms to maintain zinc levels in response to dietary fluctuations. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is emerging as a powerful model system to investigate zinc trafficking and homeostasis as well as cadmium toxicity. Here we review genetic and molecular studies that have combined to generate a picture of zinc homeostasis based on the transcriptional control of zinc transporters in intestinal cells. Furthermore, we summarize studies of cadmium toxicity that reveal intriguing parallels with zinc biology.
['Dietrich|Nicholas|N|', 'Tan|Chieh-Hsiang|CH|', 'Cubillas|Ciro|C|', 'Earley|Brian James|BJ|', 'Kornfeld|Kerry|K|']
D000818:Animals D001692:Biological Transport D002104:Cadmium D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans D019070:Cell Lineage D003470:Culture Media D004032:Diet D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug D005260:Female D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins D006706:Homeostasis D008297:Male D008954:Models, Biological D009154:Mutation D010641:Phenotype D013094:Spermatozoa D014844:Vulva D015032:Zinc
Zinc Cadmium Elegans cdf