Tellurium: A Rare Element with Influence on Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Biological Systems

Autor: Silvia Vávrová, Eva Struhárňanská, Ján Turňa, Stanislav Stuchlík
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 22, Iss 11, p 5924 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1422-0067
1661-6596
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115924
Popis: Metalloid tellurium is characterized as a chemical element belonging to the chalcogen group without known biological function. However, its compounds, especially the oxyanions, exert numerous negative effects on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Recent evidence suggests that increasing environmental pollution with tellurium has a causal link to autoimmune, neurodegenerative and oncological diseases. In this review, we provide an overview about the current knowledge on the mechanisms of tellurium compounds’ toxicity in bacteria and humans and we summarise the various ways organisms cope and detoxify these compounds. Over the last decades, several gene clusters conferring resistance to tellurium compounds have been identified in a variety of bacterial species and strains. These genetic determinants exhibit great genetic and functional diversity. Besides the existence of specific resistance mechanisms, tellurium and its toxic compounds interact with molecular systems, mediating general detoxification and mitigation of oxidative stress. We also discuss the similarity of tellurium and selenium biochemistry and the impact of their compounds on humans.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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