Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24970215›Full record

ReviewBiomolecules2014

Heavy metals and metalloids as a cause for protein misfolding and aggregation.

Markus J Tamás, Sandeep K Sharma, Sebastian Ibstedt, Therese Jacobson, Philipp Christen

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biomolecules, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 164 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
164citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
13.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

164 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 461 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. PrOMet: Accurate and Robust Metal-Binding Site and Type Prediction.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Removal of Toxic Metabolites-Chelation: Manganese Disorders.Journal of inherited metabolic disease · 2025
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch.) tolerates high levels of lead and copper by modulating ecophysiological characteristics and antioxidant defense system.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2025
    Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Article

104 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Markus J TamásDepartment of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg S-405 30, Sweden. markus.tamas@cmb.gu.se.
Sandeep K SharmaDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland. s.sharma@bioc.uzh.ch.
Sebastian IbstedtDepartment of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg S-405 30, Sweden. sebastian.ibstedt@cmb.gu.se.
Therese JacobsonDepartment of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg S-405 30, Sweden. therese.jacobson@cmb.gu.se.
Philipp ChristenDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zürich CH-8057, Switzerland. christen@bioc.uzh.ch.
University of Gothenburg · SEUniversity of Zurich · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

While the toxicity of metals and metalloids, like arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead and chromium, is undisputed, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not entirely clear. General consensus holds that proteins are the prime targets; heavy metals interfere with the physiological activity of specific, particularly susceptible proteins, either by forming a complex with functional side chain groups or by displacing essential metal ions in metalloproteins. Recent studies have revealed an additional mode of metal action targeted at proteins in a non-native state; certain heavy metals and metalloids have been found to inhibit the in vitro refolding of chemically denatured proteins, to interfere with protein folding in vivo and to cause aggregation of nascent proteins in living cells. Apparently, unfolded proteins with motile backbone and side chains are considerably more prone to engage in stable, pluridentate metal complexes than native proteins with their well-defined 3D structure. By interfering with the folding process, heavy metal ions and metalloids profoundly affect protein homeostasis and cell viability. This review describes how heavy metals impede protein folding and promote protein aggregation, how cells regulate quality control systems to protect themselves from metal toxicity and how metals might contribute to protein misfolding disorders.

Indexed as

AnimalsHumansMetalloidsMetals, HeavyProtein AggregatesProtein FoldingProteinsMetalloidsMetals, HeavyProtein AggregatesProteins

Identifiers

PMID24970215
PMCPMC4030994
OpenAlexW2035918997

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.