Abstract
Heavy-metal pollution poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health. We evaluated acute proteomic and cytological responses of two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta, to cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). Gametophores were immersed for 72 h to single-metal solutions (10, 20, or 30 mg/L; controls in distilled water), ensuring observed effects reflected single-metal toxicity. Protein profiles were resolved by SDS-PAGE, and light microscopy quantified chloroplasts per lamina cell and the proportion of dead cells. Cd elicited the strongest responses in both species, with intensified high-molecular-weight bands (~90, ~100, ~121 kDa) and pronounced cytological injury; Pb produced qualitatively similar but weaker changes. In contrast, Zn primarily modulated band intensity without generating new bands and caused limited injury at the tested doses. Concordant shifts across methods—reduced chloroplast counts and elevated lamina cell death co-occurring with Cd/Pb-associated bands—support a molecular–physiological linkage of acute metal stress. However, these high-molecular-weight bands (including the ~121 kDa signal) are size-based, putative markers only; independent identification (e.g., LC-MS/MS or immunodetection) and functional validation are still required. Within this 72-h window and concentration range, sensitivity followed Cd > Pb ≫ Zn. The findings nominate candidate proteins for rapid discrimination of damaging (Cd, Pb) versus comparatively tolerated (Zn) exposures and motivate targeted protein identification plus longer, field-calibrated studies to establish biomonitoring thresholds.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Cadmium produced the strongest protein-band and cytological responses in both mosses.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta
Hyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0 - Treatment
- Cde1
- Outcome
- intensified high-molecular-weight bands (~90, ~100, ~121 kDa) and pronounced cytological injurye1
- Direction
- strongeste1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“Cd elicited the strongest responses in both species, with intensified high-molecular-weight bands (~90, ~100, ~121 kDa) and pronounced cytological injury”
Claim · model-written summary
Lead caused similar but weaker protein and cell changes.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Treatment
- Pbe1
- Outcome
- changese1
- Direction
- weakere1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“Pb produced qualitatively similar but weaker changes”
Claim · model-written summary
Zinc altered band intensity without new bands.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Treatment
- Zne1
- Outcome
- band intensitye1
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“Zn primarily modulated band intensity without generating new bands”
Claim · model-written summary
Zinc caused limited injury at tested doses.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Treatment
- Zne1
- Outcome
- injurye1
- Direction
- limitede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“Zn primarily modulated band intensity without generating new bands and caused limited injury at the tested doses”
Claim · model-written summary
Reduced chloroplast counts co-occurred with cadmium and lead bands.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Treatment
- Cd/Pbe1
- Outcome
- chloroplast countse1
- Direction
- reducede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“reduced chloroplast counts and elevated lamina cell death co-occurring with Cd/Pb-associated bands”
Claim · model-written summary
Elevated cell death co-occurred with cadmium and lead bands.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Treatment
- Cd/Pbe1
- Outcome
- lamina cell deathe1
- Direction
- elevatede1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“reduced chloroplast counts and elevated lamina cell death co-occurring with Cd/Pb-associated bands”
Claim · model-written summary
Metal sensitivity ranked cadmium above lead and zinc.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Outcome
- sensitivitye1
- Qualifier
- 72-h window and concentration rangee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“Within this 72-h window and concentration range, sensitivity followed Cd > Pb ≫ Zn”
Claim · model-written summary
The protein bands were proposed as putative markers requiring validation.
- Taxon
- Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involutaHyophila involutaEctropothecium dealbatume0
- Outcome
- size-based, putative markerse1
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“two mosses, Ectropothecium dealbatum and Hyophila involuta”
e1“these high-molecular-weight bands (including the ~121 kDa signal) are size-based, putative markers only; independent identification (e.g., LC-MS/MS or immunodetection) and functional validation are still required”