Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Lead toxicity through the leadzyme.

Miroslawa Z Barciszewska1, Maciej Szymanski, Eliza Wyszko

  • 1Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12, 61-704 Poznan, Poland.

Mutation Research
|March 30, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

4-N-furfurylcytosine, a novel cytosine-derived modulator of mitochondrial and redox homeostasis to counteract aging: Insights from cellular and mouse models.

Free radical biology & medicine·2026
Same author

Beyond the complex: inosine drives the antiviral and epigenetic effects of inosine pranobex.

Journal of applied genetics·2026
Same author

The Year 2026 in Biology: A Jubilee Year

Postepy biochemii·2026
Same author

Labeling of Amine-Modified Material Surfaces with PFB-Fluorescein.

Nanotechnology, science and applications·2026
Same author

The Anticancer Drug Mitoxantrone Triggers the Formation of Ribosome-enriched Stress Granules Independently of the Classical Translational Control Pathways.

Journal of molecular biology·2026
Same author

Molecular background behind lateral elbow pain reduction with Leukocyte-Rich and Leukocyte-Poor Platelet-Rich Plasma-randomized control trial and single-cell platelet analysis.

International orthopaedics·2026
Same journal

Monoallelic germline RAD51C, RAD51D, and BRIP1 variants in hereditary cancer testing: Variant spectrum and clinical counselling implications.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

Prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma associated biomarkers in TP53 gene; A comprehensive in silico analysis.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

IDH1 mutation promotes angiogenesis via upregulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha in glial tumors.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

Targeting overexpressed oncogenes in esophageal cancer through miRNA-mediated gene silencing: Insights from binding affinity and thermodynamic profiling.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

The active compound quercetin from Polygonum cuspidatum targets COL3A1 to enhance CD8⁺ T cell cytotoxicity in gastric cancer.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

E2F1 promotes LIHC malignant phenotype via NEK2-mediated Wnt/β-catenin and Notch activation and EMT.

Mutation research·2026
See all related articles

Lead toxicity may stem from its ability to bind RNA motifs, forming a "leadzyme." This can trigger RNA destruction within cells, potentially explaining lead-induced health issues.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Toxicology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Lead is a potent toxic agent with incompletely understood molecular mechanisms of toxicity in humans.
  • Lead ions are known to bind specific RNA structures, catalyzing RNA hydrolysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and potential role of the leadzyme motif in lead-induced cellular damage.
  • To explore the leadzyme motif as a potential molecular target for lead toxicity.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of GenBank sequences to identify potential leadzyme-containing RNA structures.
  • Examination of the frequency of the leadzyme motif in eukaryotic genomes, particularly human mRNA.

Main Results:

  • The leadzyme motif was found to be common in eukaryotic genomes and occurs frequently in human mRNA.

Related Experiment Videos

  • This suggests that lead-catalyzed RNA cleavage is a plausible cellular mechanism.

    • Conclusions:

    • The nucleolytic activity of the leadzyme motif offers a potential explanation for lead-mediated toxicity.
    • Lead's targeting of RNA scaffolds in ribosomes or spliceosomes could lead to cell death.