Physiological and chemical characterization of cyanobacterial metallothioneins

Techniques have been developed for detection, quantitation, and isolation of bacterial metallothioneins (MTs) from cyanobacterial species. These methods involve differential pulse polarography and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and have allowed detection of picomole quantities of these high sulfhydryl content proteins. The prokaryotic molecule was found to be induced in the presence of Cd or Zn salts with regulation at the level of transcription. Cu was not found to induce synthesis of the prokaryotic MT. Exposure to the former metals resulted in a growth lag followed by simultaneous induction of MT synthesis and onset of growth. Amino acid analysis and N-terminal sequence analysis indicated that the bacterial MTs from cyanobacteria are unique, having many aromatic and aliphatic residues and no apparent association of hydroxylated or basic amino acids with cysteines. Although the characteristic Cys-X-Cys sequences were present, no apparent amino acid sequence homology with the eukaryotic MTs was found in the first 42 residues.