Tetrahymena metallothioneins fall into two discrete subfamilies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Metallothioneins are ubiquitous small, cysteine-rich, multifunctional proteins which can bind heavy metals.

Methodology/principal findings

We report the results of phylogenetic and gene expression analyses that include two new Tetrahymena thermophila metallothionein genes (MTT3 and MTT5). Sequence alignments of all known Tetrahymena metallothioneins have allowed us to rationalize the structure of these proteins. We now formally subdivide the known metallothioneins from the ciliate genus Tetrahymena into two well defined subfamilies, 7a and 7b, based on phylogenetic analysis, on the pattern of clustering of Cys residues, and on the pattern of inducibility by the heavy metals Cd and Cu. Sequence alignment also reveals a remarkably regular, conserved and hierarchical

SUBMITTER: Diaz S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1808422 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature