Abstract:
Nickel is an essential micronutrient due to its involvement in many enzymatic reactions as a cofactor. However,
excess of this element is toxic to biological systems. Here, we constructed a cDNA library from Beta maritima and
screened it in the yeast system to identify genes that confer resistance to toxic levels of nickel. A cDNA clone
(NIC6), which encodes for a putative membrane protein with unknown function, was found to help yeast cells
to tolerate toxic levels of nickel. A GFP fused form of Nic6 protein was localized to multivesicular structures in tobacco
epidermal cells. Thus, our results suggest a possible role of Nic6 in nickel and intracellular ion homeostasis.
