Metallomics: The Science of Biometals and Biometalloids

Abstract

Metallomics, a discipline integrating sciences that address the biometals and biometalloids, provides new opportunities for discoveries. As part of a systems biology approach, it draws attention to the importance of many chemical elements in biochemistry. Traditionally, biochemistry has treated life as organic chemistry, separating it from inorganic chemistry, considered a field reserved for investigating the inanimate world. However, inorganic chemistry is part of the chemistry of life, and metallomics contributes by showing the importance of a neglected fifth branch of building blocks in biochemistry. Metallomics adds chemical elements/metals to the four building blocks of biomolecules and the fields of their studies: carbohydrates (glycome), lipids (lipidome), proteins (proteome), and nucleotides (genome). The realization that non-essential elements are present in organisms in addition to essential elements represents a certain paradigm shift in our thinking, as it stipulates inquiries into the functional implications of virtually all the natural elements. This article discusses opportunities arising from metallomics for a better understanding of human biology and health. It looks at a biological periodic system of the elements as a sum of metallomes and focuses on the major roles of metals in about 30-40% of all proteins, the metalloproteomes. It emphasizes the importance of zinc and iron biology and discusses why it is important to investigate non-essential metal ions, what bioinformatics approaches can contribute to understanding metalloproteins, and why metallomics has a bright future in the many dimensions it covers.

Plasma mineral (selenium, zinc or copper) concentrations in the general pregnant population, adjusted for supplement intake, in relation to thyroid function

“…Proper thyroid function is highly relevant because the development of the fetal central nervous system is dependent on TH (1) . Nutritional (trace) elements such as Se, Zn and Cu are involved in a diversity of mechanisms including: (i) the regulation of cellular function, (ii) growth and maintenance, and (iii) neuromodulation (2) . A deficiency of trace elements may result in alterations in immune function, cognition and growth and development (3,4) .…”

Across the spectrum: integrating multidimensional metal analytics forin situmetallomic imaging

“…The in situ metallomic imaging tools described in this perspective have the power to characterise these metallomes within the life span of individual cells and tissues with significant value for fundamental scientific questions relating to determination of cell fate and health, trace element metabolism, and for translational science in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. In fact, metallomes are as dynamic as the biological systems they exist within, opening another dimension of metallomics called meta-metallomics that addresses individual variation in the life trajectory as well as the influence of environmental factors such as nutrition, exposure and disease 134. There is currently an unmet recognized scientific need for establishing such profiles, and through the integration of state of the art analytical techniques described in this perspective, we can now generate elemental profiles with both spatial and temporal resolution within functional biological contexts at scales ranging from atomic to whole body.…”

Metallomics: Methodologies and Applications in Environmental Studies

“…1,2 De acordo com a IUPAC, essa área pode ser definida como o estudo do metaloma, das interações e conexões funcionais de íons metálicos e outras espécies metálicas com genes, proteínas, metabólitos e outras biomoléculas em sistemas biológicos. 3,4 Os estudos metalômicos, com abordagem sistemática ou abrangente, devem ser focados nos metais ou metaloides em um sistema biológico e/ou na associação, seja estatística, estrutural ou funcional, da concentração ou especiação de elementos com o genoma. 3 A caracterização das espécies contendo metais nos organismos vivos e de suas interações com o genoma, transcriptoma, proteoma e metaboloma requer abordagens analíticas dedicadas à detecção, localização, identificação e quantificação in vivo, análise funcional in vitro e predição in silico usando bioinformática.…”

“…Esses valores de referência podem então servir para entender as mudanças que causam doenças ou são resultado da doença. 4 Essa concepção global e ordenada das diversas funções de compostos metálicos e metaloides em sistemas biológicos, combinada com respostas às mudanças ambientais, torna a metalômica fundamental em áreas como biologia clínica, farmacologia, nutrição, geoquímica, entre outras. Os estudos metalômicos podem contribuir para a identificação de espécies metálicas (análise qualitativa), bem como para a determinação de sua concentração (análise quantitativa), para a compreensão dos mecanismos de atuação das espécies metálicas nos sistemas biológicos e a caracterização de biomarcadores.…”