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Cell organelles as targets of mammalian cadmium toxicity

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Abstract

Ever increasing environmental presence of cadmium as a consequence of industrial activities is considered a health hazard and is closely linked to deteriorating global health status. General animal and human cadmium exposure ranges from ingestion of foodstuffs sourced from heavily polluted hotspots and cigarette smoke to widespread contamination of air and water, including cadmium-containing microplastics found in household water. Cadmium is promiscuous in its effects and exerts numerous cellular perturbations based on direct interactions with macromolecules and its capacity to mimic or displace essential physiological ions, such as iron and zinc. Cell organelles use lipid membranes to form complex tightly-regulated, compartmentalized networks with specialized functions, which are fundamental to life. Interorganellar communication is crucial for orchestrating correct cell behavior, such as adaptive stress responses, and can be mediated by the release of signaling molecules, exchange of organelle contents, mechanical force generated through organelle shape changes or direct membrane contact sites. In this review, cadmium effects on organellar structure and function will be critically discussed with particular consideration to disruption of organelle physiology in vertebrates.

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Abbreviations

3-MA:

3-Methyladenine

AIF:

Apoptosis-inducing factor

ANT:

ADP/ATP translocase

AQP:

Aquaporin

ATG:

Autophagy

BBM:

Brush border membrane

BER:

Base excision repair

BKA:

Bongkrekic acid

CLCE:

Chronic low cadmium exposure

COX:

Cytochrome c oxidase

CsA:

Cyclosporin A

cytC:

Cytochrome C

DMT1:

Divalent metal transporter 1

DSB:

Double strand break

EE:

Early endosome

ER:

Endoplasmic reticulum

ERAD:

ER-associated degradation

ETC:

Electron transport chain

HR:

Homologous recombination

HSF-1:

Heat shock factor 1

IMM:

Inner mitochondrial membrane

IMS:

Intermembrane space

LE:

Late endosome

LMP:

Lysosomal membrane permeabilization

MAMs:

Mitochondria associated membranes

Man-6-P:

Mannose-6-phosphate

MCS:

Membrane contact sites

MCU:

Mitochondrial uniporter

MMR:

Mismatch repair

mPT:

Mitochondrial permeability transition

MT:

Metallothionein

mTORC:

Mammalian target of rapamycin complex

MV:

Microvesicles

MVB:

Multivesicular body

NER:

Nucleotide excision repair

NHEJ:

Non-homologous end-joining

NSB:

Nuclear stress body

OMM:

Outer mitochondrial membrane

OXPHOS:

Oxidative phosphorylation

PG:

Perichromatin granules

PGC-1:

PPAR coactivator 1

PKC:

Protein kinase C

PM:

Plasma membrane

PPAR:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor

PTC:

Proximal tubule cell

PTP:

Permeability transition pore

RE:

Recycling endosome

RME:

Receptor-mediated endocytosis

RNS:

Reactive nitrogen species

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TEM:

Transmission electron microscopy

TFEB:

Transcription factor EB

TFE3:

Transcription factor E3

UPR:

Unfolded protein response

V-ATPase:

Vacuolar H+-ATPase

VDAC:

Voltage-dependent anion channel

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Acknowledgements

W.-K. L is financially supported by the Intramural Research Program at Witten/Herdecke University (IFF2017-14, IFF2018-52). F.T. received funding from BMBF (01DN16039), DFG (TH345) and ZBAF.

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Correspondence to Wing-Kee Lee or Frank Thévenod.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Lee, WK., Thévenod, F. Cell organelles as targets of mammalian cadmium toxicity. Arch Toxicol 94, 1017–1049 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-020-02692-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-020-02692-8

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