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Molecular Targets of Uranium in some Aquatic Organisms (MOTAUR)
Start date: Jan 2, 2014, End date: Jan 1, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Uranium is an important element, massively used in military and civil industry. It is a toxic element and the understanding of the mechanisms of its metabolism, homeostasis and toxicity are of paramount importance. The project aims at the development of a series of novel analytical methods able to identify and quantify the species being products of interaction of uranium with the proteome and metabolome of some aquatic organisms. The organisms include microalgae Fragilariopsis cylindrus and Karenia brevis selected on the basis of reports claiming their unusual toxic metal homeostasis, some shellfish crayfish Orconectes limosus, bivalve Corbicula fluminea known for uranium bioaccumulation, and a model organism zebrafish Danio reiro. The methods to be developed to probe biomolecular targets of uranium include non-denaturating gel electrophoresis with uranium specific laser ablation ICP mass spectrometry imaging followed by canonical proteomics protocols and hydrophilic interaction chromatography with the high-resolution MS detection of uranium complexes present. The maps of the interactions of uranium with biomolecules will be discussed in the context of toxicological data.
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