Urinary oligosaccharides of GM1-gangliosidosis. Different excretion patterns of oligosaccharides in the urine of type 1 and type 2 subgroups

Oligosaccharide patterns obtained by gel filtration of the urine of GM1-gangliosidosis Type 1 patients are quite different from those of GM1-gangliosidosis Type 2. By studies of oligosaccharides in the four major peaks obtained from the Type 1 subgroup using sequential exoglycosidase digestion, methylation analysis, and periodate oxidation, the structures of 15 oligosaccharides: Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Man alpha 1 leads to 6(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6[Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2)Man alpha 1 leads to 3]Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 6(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2)Man alpha 1 leads to 6(Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc NAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 6(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2)Man alpha 1 leads to 6[Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2)Man alpha 1 leads to 3]Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6, and 3(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3 and 6)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, (formula see text) were elucidated. The amounts of total oligosaccharides excreted in the urine of the Type 2 subgroup were approximately one-tenth of those of Type 1. Moreover, the last eight oligosaccharides shown above, which have a Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to outer chain, were completely missing in the urine of Type 2.     

Prolonged antioestrogenic activity of ICI 46, 474 in the ovariectomized mouse.

Subcutaneous administration of ICI 46,474 (3 mg) to ovariectomized mice was found to produce vaginal refractoriness to subcutaneously administered oestradiol for up to 6 weeks. Tritiated oestradiol-17 beta accumulated in the uterus and vagina of the ovariectomized mouse, with maximum accumulation at 3 to 4 hr. This property of the target tissues was used to investigate the binding of tritiated oestradiol after the administration of 3 mg ICI 46,474 to ovariectomized mice. Radioactivity in the vagina was found to be comparable to control values 6 weeks after ICI 46,474 administration; uterine levels of radioactivity returned to control values by 10 weeks. Administration of ICI 46,474 had an oestrogenic effect upon the mouse uterus whereas the vagina appeared to be initially stimulated and was then unable to respond to or to bind oestradiol.     

Phagocytosis of chloramine B sensitive and resistant staphylococci isolated from healthy persons and patients

Phagocytic reaction with respect to antibiotic and chloramine B sensitive and resistant staphylococci isolated from healthy persons and patients, air and stock of medical institutions was studied on albino mice. It was shown that the staphylococcal isolates included strains simultaneously sensitive to antibiotics and chloramine, sensitive to antibiotics and resistant to chloramine, resistant to antibiotics and sensitive to chloramine and simultaneously resistant to antibiotics and chloramine. Activity, intensity and completeness of phagocytosis by leucocytes from mouse abdominal cavity exudates with respect to the staphylococcal strains sensitive to antibiotics and resistant to chloramine, resistant to antibiotics and sensitive to chloramine and simultaneously resistant to antibiotics and chloramine were lower than the values of the phagocytic reaction with respect to the isolates simultaneously sensitive to antibiotics and chloramine. This suggested that not only antibiotic resistance of microbes but also their resistance to disinfectants could be referred to complicating factors of hospital infections.     

《动物生物学》教学对生命科学发展和人才培养的作用

动物生物学是揭示动物生命活动规律的科学。作为生命科学专业本科学生最早接触到的主干课程之一,动物生物学的教学对于学生了解生物学的基本概念和基础知识、构建生命科学的知识体系和思维方式、培养和巩固专业兴趣十分重要。系统回顾和总结了动物生物学研究对生命学科发展的贡献,阐明了动物生物学教学对生命科学人才培养与学科建设的作用,引起广大的生物学教学工作者和管理者对动物生物学教学的重视,促进传统重要基础课程的建设与发展。     

Structure of the carbohydrate moieties of bovine rhodopsin.

The sugar chains of bovine rhodopsin were released from the polypeptide moiety by hydrazinolysis and reduced with NaB[3H]4 after N-acetylation. The radioactive oligosaccharides thus obtained were fractionated into three components by paper chromatography. The structures of these components were elucidated as GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3 (Man alpha 1 leads to 6)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3(Man alpha 1 leads to 3 and 6 Man alpha 1 leads to 6)Man beta leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, and GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3(Man alpha 1 leads to 3 (Man alpha 1 leads to 6)Man alpha 1 leads to 6)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc, by sequential exoglycosidase digestion, methylation analysis, and endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase D digestion. The unusual features of the sugar chains of rhodopsin molecule seem to support the proposed processing pathway for the biosynthesis of asparagine-linked sugar chains of glycoproteins.     

Studies on the hydrazinolysis of glycoproteins. Core structures of oligosaccharides obtained from Porcine thyroglobulin and pineapple stem bromelain.

Hydrazinolysis of porcine thyroglobulin glycopeptides and of pineapple stem bromelain [EC 3.4.22.4] permitted the isolation of almost intact carbohydrate chains of these glycoproteins. On the basis of permethylation analyses of the released oligosaccharides after reduction with NaBH4, the core structures of Unit A-type and Unit B-type carbohydrate chains of porcine thyroglobulin were deduced to be Manalpha1 leads to 6[Manalpha1 leads to 3]Manbeta1 leads to 4GlcNAcbeta1 leads to 4[Ralpha1 leads to 6]GlcNAc leads to Asn (Unit A-type, R=H; Unit B-type, R=Fuc), and that of bromelain was found to be Manalpha1 leads to 6[R'1 leads to 2]Manbeta1 leads to 4GlcNAcbeta1 leads to 4[R1 leads to 3]GlcNAc leads to Asn (R'=Xylbeta and R=Fucalpha, or R'=Fucalpha and R=Xylbeta). From these results, it appears that the hydrazinolysis method is applicable to wide variety of glycoproteins which have an N-glycosylamine linkage between the carbohydrate and peptide moieties, regardless of the type of linkage to the most proximal N-acetylglucosamine residue which is bound to asparagine.     

Group B streptococci adhere to a variant of fibronectin attached to a solid phase

Group B streptococci (GBS) are the leading cause of neonatal pneumonia and meningitis. Adherence of GBS to host tissues may play an important role in the pathogenesis of infection. The host molecules which mediate GBS adherence to host tissues are unknown. Many bacterial pathogens adhere to fibronectin, an important component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Some pathogens adhere to both immobilized and soluble fibronectin, while others adhere to immobilized fibronectin, but not to soluble fibronectin. Previous data indicated that GBS do not adhere to soluble fibronectin. We studied the ability of GBS to adhere to immobilized fibronectin. Forty-five per cent of the input inoculum of COH1, a virulent GBS isolate, adhered to fibronectin immobilized on polystyrene. COH1 did not adhere to the other ECM proteins tested (laminin, type I collagen, vitronectin, and tenascin). Nine out of nine GBS strains from human sources tested adhered specifically to fibronectin at levels varying from 4–60%. We considered the possibility that GBS were adherent to a contaminant in the fibronectin preparation. Properties of fibronectin, including the presence of an immunologic epitope of fibronectin and binding to collagen, were verified to be properties of the molecule to which GBS adhere. COH1 adhered to fibronectin captured by a monoclonal antibody to fibronectin (FN-15), confirming that the molecule to which GBS adhere bears immunologic determinants of fibronectin. Adherence of COH1 to fibronectin was inhibited by collagen, confirming that the molecule to which GBS adhere binds to collagen. These data strongly suggest that GBS adhere to fibronectin, and not to a contaminant. Protein blot analysis revealed that GBS were adherent to a high-molecular-weight variant of non-reduced fibronectin monomers and dimers. GBS did not adhere to reduced fibronectin monomers. We conclude that GBS adhere to a variant of plasma fibronectin when attached to a solid phase.     

Some ethical issues at the population level raised by 'soft' eugenics, euphenics, and isogenics.

It is argued that at the population level there are three central genetic developments raising ethical issues. The first is the emergence of 'soft' eugenics, due primarily to the increasing ability to detect carriers of genetic diseases, to monitor their pregnancies, and to provide the option to abort a fetus predisposed to major genetic disease. The second development is the recognition of the extent to which many serious diseases of adult life are due to a disturbance of ancient genetic homeostatic mechanisms due to changing life style, raising the question of whether a society that increasingly pays the medical bills should attempt to impose healthier standards of living on its members. Such an attempt at 'euphenics' may be thought of as the antithesis to eugenics. The third development relates to recognition of the need to regulate the size of the earth's population to numbers that can be indefinitely sustained; this regulation in a fashion (isogenic) that will preserve existing genetic diversity.     

The carbohydrate of bovine prothrombin. Occurrence of Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc grouping in asparagine-linked sugar chains.

Bovine prothrombin contains three asparagine-linked sugar chains in 1 molecule. The sugar chains were quantitatively released from the polypeptide backbone by hydrazinolysis. All of the oligosaccharides thus obtained contain N-acetylneuraminic acid. Sialidase treatment of these acidic oligosaccharides released three isomeric oligosaccharides, N-1, N-2 and N-3. N-3 was a typical complex type asparagine-linked sugar chain widely found in other glycoprotein, while N-1 and N-2 were unique, because they contain Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc grouping in the outer chain moiety. By comparing the data of methylation analysis of the acidic oligosaccharides before and after sialidase treatment, the structures of the sugar chains of bovine prothrombin were confirmed as a mixture of NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6(NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc leads to Asn, NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6[NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 3(NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6)GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3]Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc leads to Asn, NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 3(NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6)GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6[NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 3(NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6)GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3]Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc leads to Asn and their partially desialized forms.     

基于认知水平的非使用价值支付动机研究

非使用价值是环境与资源价值的重要组成部分,非使用价值的支付动机研究是环境与资源价值研究的重要内容,遗产价值、选择价值、存在价值是非使用价值的三大支付动机.传统的自上而下或自下而上非使用价值支付动机研究方法会出现顺序效应等问题.根据社会心理学理论,消费者支付意愿的大小与其支付动机强度成正比,为此提出了基于认知水平的非使用价值支付动机分析方法,将对支付动机的直接评估转为对动机认知水平的评估.论文以鼓山风景区为例进行了实证分析,并与传统方法进行比较,结果显示,基于认知水平的支付动机研究方法可大大减低受访者回答的难度,并能精确地量化受访者3种支付动机间的差异,同时克服了顺序效应问题,从而提高了研究结果的科学性.     

Monoclonal antibodies to either domain of ovotransferrin block binding to transferrin receptors on chick reticulocytes

Monoclonal antibodies produced to both chicken ovotransferrin and to the isolated N- and C-terminal half-molecule domains of ovotransferrin have been used to probe the interaction of ovotransferrin with its specific receptor on chick embryo red blood cells. Two antibodies to epitopes on the N-terminal domain and one antibody to an epitope on the C-terminal domain were able to block the binding of 125I-labeled diferric ovotransferrin to the receptor. When the cellular surface receptors were first saturated with ovotransferrin at 0 degrees C, none of these antibodies bound to the cell-associated ovotransferrin. This suggests that the antibodies are to epitopes which lie very near to, or in the regions of, the two domains which interact with receptor. The same three antibodies also blocked the binding to the receptor of ovotransferrin associated in situ from the isolated N- and C-terminal half-molecule domains. A fourth antibody did not block binding to receptor of 125I-labeled diferric ovotransferrin or the associated domains; furthermore, it was able to bind to ovotransferrin bound to the cell surface at 0 degrees C. This antibody thus appears to recognize an epitope remote from the receptor binding region of ovotransferrin. Additional evidence for the requirement of the presence of both domains of ovotransferrin to effect binding to the transferrin receptor on chick reticulocytes was obtained with a fifth antibody which recognized only the N-terminal half-molecule domain but not holo-ovotransferrin. Although this antibody had no effect on the binding of 125I-labeled ovotransferrin to cells, it blocked binding to receptor of the associated domains of ovotransferrin, presumably by inhibiting the association of the two domains.     

Proton-nuclear magnetic resonance study of peracetylated derivatives of ten oligosaccharides isolated from human milk

Proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of peracetylated derivatives of ten structurally related oligosaccharides isolated from human milk were measured for solutions in CDCl3 at 360 MHz. The following oligosaccharides were investigated: Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (1), GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (2), Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (3), Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (4), Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc(4 comes from 1Fuc alpha) beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (5), Fuc alpha 1 leads to 2Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (6), Fuc alpha 1 leads to 2Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc(4 comes from 1Fuc alpha)beta 1 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (7), Fuc alpha 1 leads to 2Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol(3 comes from 1Fuc alpha) (8), and a 1:3 mixture of Fuc alpha 1 leads to 2Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol (9) and Gal beta 1 leads to 4Glc-ol(3 comes from 1Fuc alpha) (10). Owing to the strong downfield shifts of the resonances of protons linked to acetoxylated carbons, the problems of signal overlap are less severe and the spin systems of all constituent sugar residues can be assigned fully. The sites of glycosidic linkage can be recognized by the high-field position of the signals of protons linked to those sites; for example, type 1 (Gal beta 1 leads to 3GlcNAc) and type 2(Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc) saccharide chains can be distinguished. The sequence can be established by observing a nuclear Overhauser effect involving the anomomeric and the aglyconic proton.     

Effect of aging of recipient oocytes on the development of bovine nuclear transfer embryos in vitro

The present study was undertaken to examine the effect of the length of in vitro maturation of oocytes on the efficiency of enucleation, parthenogenetic activation and blastomere fusion by electric stimulus. In vitro development of reconstituted oocytes receiving a blastomere from 8 to 16-cell bovine embryos fertilized in vitro was investigated to assess the effect of aging of the oocytes. The proportion of oocytes with a first polar body at 22 to 24 hours after maturation was high (80%) compared with those obtained at 16 to 18, 28 to 30 or 42 to 44 hours (50 to 75%). The success rate of enucleation significantly decreased with aging (88, 85, 74 and 55%). The activation rate significantly increased with the length of maturation in vitro (P<0.01) (1 to 4, 24 to 41, 57 to 70 and 80 to 87%). The proportion of oocytes fused with a blastomere from 8- to 16-cell embryos was not dependent on the age of the oocytes (54 approximately 59%). The ability of the reconstituted oocytes to develop to the 2-cell and the 8- to 16-cell stage increased with the length of maturation of recipient oocytes. When oocytes enucleated and a blastomere at 22 to 24 hours were incubated further for 22 to 23 hours until electrofusion. The proportions of oocytes which developed to the 2-cell and the 8- to 16-cell stages (74 and 17%) were similar to those obtained at 42 to 44 hours after maturation. However, only 1 to 6% of reconstituted eggs receiving a blastomere from 8- to 16-cell embryos fertilized in vitro developed into a blastocyst in vitro.     

Linkage disequilibrium mapping of complex disease: fantasy or reality?

In the past year, data about the level and nature of linkage disequilibrium between alleles of tightly linked SNPs have started to become available. Furthermore, increasing evidence of allelic heterogeneity at the loci predisposing to complex disease has been observed, which has lead to initial attempts to develop methods of linkage disequilibrium detection allowing for this difficulty. It has also become more obvious that we will need to think carefully about the types of populations we need to analyze in an attempt to identify these elusive genes, and it is becoming clear that we need to carefully reevaluate the prognosis of the current paradigm with regard to its robustness to the types of problems that are likely to exist.     

Tolerance to azobenzenearsonate: preferential loss of the major normal cross-reactive idiotype.

A specific tolerant state was induced in A/J mice to the hapten p-aminobenzenearsonate (Ars) by the injection of deaggregated conjugates of Ars and human gemma-globulin (Ars-DHGG). The kinetics of tolerance to Ars-DHGG was found to be identical to that of B cell tolerance to human gamma-globulin alone. The ability to produce antibody (anti-Ars) bearing the major normal cross-reactive idiotype was found to be preferentially lost. In addition, recovery of the ability to produce anti-Ars bearing this cross-reactive idiotype was found to be delayed as compared to the total anti-Ars response upon spontaneous loss of tolerance.     

Structures of the asparagine-linked sugar chains of human chorionic gonadotropin.

The asparagine-linked sugar chains of human chorionic gonadotropin were released from the polypeptide moiety by hydrazinolysis followed by N-acetylation and NaB3H4 reduction. More than 90% of the released radioactive oligosaccharides contained N-acetylneuraminic acid residues. After removal of N-acetylneuraminic acid residues by sialidase treatment, two neutral oligosaccharide fractions were obtained by paper chromatography. Sequential exoglycosidase digestion revealed that one of them was a mixture of two neutral oligosaccharides. The complete structures of the three oligosaccharides were elucidated by methylation analysis. It was confirmed that all the N-acetylneuraminic acid residues of the asparagine-linked sugar chains of human chorionic gonadotropin occur as NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal groupings by comparing the methylation analysis data for the acidic oligosaccharide mixture before and after sialidase treatment. Based on these results, the structures of the asparagine-linked sugar chains of human chorionic gonadotropin were confirmed to be +/- NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 6(NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 2Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4(+/- Fuc alpha 1 leads to 6)GlcNAc and Man alpha 1 leads to 6(NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3 Gal beta 1 leads to 4 GlcNAc beta 1 leads to Man alpha 1 leads to 3)Man beta 1 leads to 4 GlcNAc beta 1 leads to 4GlcNAc.     

Identification of low-dye-binding (ldb) mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have completed the identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes that are defective in previously isolated ldb (low-dye-binding) mutants. This was done by complementation of the mutant's phenotype with DNA fragments from a genomic library and by running standard tests of allelism with single-gene deletion mutants of similar phenotype. The results were as follows: LDB2 is allelic to ERD1; LDB4 to SPC72; LDB5 to RLR1; LDB6 to GON7/YJL184W; LDB7 to YBL006C; LDB9 to ELM1; LDB10 to CWH36; LDB11 to COG1; LDB12 to OCH1; LDB13 to VAN1; LDB14 to BUD32; and LDB15 to PHO85. Since the precise function of some of the genes is not known, these data may contribute to the functional characterization of the S. cerevisiae genome.     

Introduction to the symposium: responses of organisms to climate change: a synthetic approach to the role of thermal adaptation

On a global scale, changing climates are affecting ecological systems across multiple levels of biological organization. Moreover, climates are changing at rates unprecedented in recent geological history. Thus, one of the most pressing concerns of the modern era is to understand the biological responses to climate such that society can both adapt and implement measures that attempt to offset the negative impacts of a rapidly changing climate. One crucial question, to understand organismal responses to climate, is whether the ability of organisms to adapt can keep pace with quickly changing environments. To address this question, a syntheses of knowledge from a broad set of biological disciplines will be needed that integrates information from the fields of ecology, behavior, physiology, genetics, and evolution. This symposium assembled a diverse group of scientists from these subdisciplines to present their perspectives regarding the ability of organisms to adapt to changing climates. Specifically, the goals of this symposia were to (1) highlight what each discipline brings to a discussion of organismal responses to climate, (2) to initiate and foster a discussion to break barriers in the transfer of knowledge across disciplines, and (3) to synthesize an approach to address ongoing issues concerning biological responses to climate.     

Mold Sensitivity in the Allergic Respiratory Diseases

A study to determine the role of mold allergens in the allergic respiratory diseases was made by reviewing the skin sensitivity reactions to molds of 257 consecutive cases of asthma and/or rhinitis in southwestern British Columbia. Failure to adequately seek out and to treat even minor mold allergy was noted to be a frequent cause of therapeutic failure or of only limited success. Apparently bearing a consistent relation to age and being most prevalent in the mature adult, allergy to fungi appeared to develop slowly and insidiously. The incidence of mold sensitivity was 78.5% and exceeded that of house dust sensitivity by 3.1%. Evidence of clinical sensitivity was present in excess of 52.4% of mold-sensitive patients. Asthmatic patients showed a greater incidence of sensitivity to molds and to multiplicity of species than did patients with rhinitis only. The hypothesized evolution of rhinitis to asthma appeared to be paralleled by the acquisition of sensitivity to increasing numbers of species of fungi. This suggests that the development of sensitivity to multiple mold species may be an etiologic factor in the production of the asthmatic state.     

Metabolomics and its application to studying metal toxicity

Here we explain the omics approach of metabolomics and how it can be applied to study a physiological response to toxic metal exposure. This review aims to educate the metallomics field to the tool of metabolomics. Metabolomics is becoming an increasingly used tool to compare natural and challenged states of various organisms, from disease states in humans to toxin exposure to environmental systems. This approach is key to understanding and identifying the cellular or biochemical targets of metals and the underlying physiological response. Metabolomics steps are described and overviews of its application to metal toxicity to organisms are given. As this approach is very new there are yet only a small number of total studies and therefore only a brief overview of some metal metabolomics studies is described. A frank critical evaluation of the approach is given to provide newcomers to the method a clear idea of the challenges and the rewards of applying metabolomics to their research.