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In animal cells, arsenite has been reported to cause sulfhydryl depletion, generate reactive oxygen species and increase the level of large ubiquitin-protein conjugates. Plant viability tests and DNA laddering experiments have shown that Lemna minor remains viable after exposure to 50 microM NaAsO(2) for periods of at least 6 h. However, protein metabolism is affected in two major ways: the synthesis of an array of stress proteins, which confer thermotolerance; and an increase in the amount of large ubiquitin-protein conjugates, particularly evident after 2-3 h of stress, indicative of a role for the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. This outcome is primarily attributed to an increased availability of protein substrates during arsenite treatment for three main reasons: an increase in protein carbonyl content after 1-2 h of stress; moderate increments in the transcript levels of the sequences coding for the ubiquitin pathway components chosen as markers (polyubiquitin, E1 and E2, and the beta subunit and the ATPase subunits of the 26S proteasome); the observed increase in ubiquitin conjugates does not depend on de novo protein synthesis. This study is the first report on the involvement of the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway in response to arsenite in plants. In addition, it addresses the simultaneous expression of selected genes encoding the various components of the pathway. The results suggest that in plants, unlike in animals, the response to a relatively low level of arsenite does not induce apoptotic cell death. As a whole, the response to arsenite apparently involves a conjugation of salvage and proteolytic machineries, including heat shock protein synthesis and the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway.

The biological activity of six synthetic siderophore analogues (two dihydroxamates, two trihydroxamates, one tetrahydroxamate and one 3-hydroxy-4(1H)pyridinone) has been studied in Escherichia coli, Morganella morganii 13 and Proteus mirabilis 8993 strains by using growth promotion tests. Various transport-deficient mutants of E. coli were used to study the route of entry into gram-negative bacteria. The results indicated that the synthetic hydroxamate compounds are transported via Fhu-mediated transport systems, although receptor specificity was low. This could be proven by using a delta (fhuA-B) E. coli mutant as a control in which growth promotion by natural hydroxamates was completely abolished, suggesting that a periplasmic binding-protein-dependent transport system (FhuB, C, D) is required for the transport of all synthetic ferric hydroxamate complexes. Although utilization of the synthetic hydroxamates was generally lower than that of the natural siderophores, differences in growth promotion could be detected. Highest activity was observed with the dihydroxamate DOCYDHAMA ligand which supported growth at concentrations < 1 mM. In comparison with other polyamino-polyhydroxamate ligands studied, this dihydroxamate ligand has an extra diamide backbone that could be important for the interaction with the receptors or with FhuD. The synthetic trihydroxamate and tetrahydroxamate ligands showed a relatively low siderophore activity. Studies with Proteus and Morganella in the presence of increasing bipyridyl concentrations showed a decreased growth promotion with the synthetic ferric hydroxamates, suggesting the involvement of a reduction step during iron mobilization or an increased toxicity of bipyridyl. This was not observed in the case of the 3-hydroxy-4(1H)pyridinone where bipyridyl had no effect.

A new tetrahydroxamate ligand has been synthesized and its chelating properties studied, in aqueous solutions, with thorium() and iron() as analogues of the actinides plutonium() and (to some extent) americium(). The architecture of this ligand is based on that of the cyclohexane-1,2-diyldinitrilotetraacetate complexone with hydroxamate instead of carboxylate groups. It has proven to form quite stable and water soluble complexes with these metal ions, up to pH 9. Besides the 1 : 1 (M : L) monomeric species formed under acidic conditions, the corresponding (2 : 2) dimeric complexes may also be admitted under physiological conditions. According to the magnetic properties and modelling calculations, the iron() dimer species should have some magnetic interaction between the metallic centres.

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