Cadmium-binding peptide induced in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

When S. pombe is cultured in a medium containing a high concentration of CdCl2 (1 mM), it grows for over 20 h accumulating Cd2+ in the cells. Simultaneously, Cd-binding peptides (Cd-BP1 and -BP2) are synthesized, and accumulated depending on the time after addition of Cd2+ to the culture medium. Apparent molecular weights of Cd-BP1 and -BP2 are 4,000 and 1,800, respectively. Both Cd-BPs are composed of common unit peptides, confirmed by chemical and physicochemical analyses.