Advances in Molecular Studies of Mercury Toxicity

Dear Colleagues, 

Mercury, a highly toxic heavy metal, is a ubiquitous contaminant in our environment. There are three forms of mercury: elemental, inorganic and organic. Each mercury form presents unique aspects of toxicity and differs in its mechanism of transport and distribution in the body. It is known that interactions with sulfhydryl groups, oxidative stress induction and disruption of calcium ion homeostasis are critical mechanisms that confer toxicity to mercury. However, many aspects of mercury toxicity are still unknown. Fetuses and children are particularly susceptible to mercury toxicity due to its adverse effects on fetal growth, neurological development and cardiovascular function. Furthermore, there is considerable concern about the adverse consequences resulting from chronic exposure to low levels of mercury.

Previous reports have indicated that heavy metals, including mercury, regulate numerous genes, and mercury exposure influences a range of mechanisms in biological systems at the molecular and cellular levels. This Special Issue focuses on the scientific study of genetic and molecular determinants of susceptibility to mercury exposure and its toxic effects. An additional focus of this Special Issue is the assessment of new and novel countermeasures and treatments for mercury toxicity in adult and developing organisms.

Prof. Dr. Louise C. Abbott
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• mercury
• methylmercury
• toxicity
• cells
• tissues
• signaling molecules
• molecular determinants
• genetic susceptibility
• developmental susceptibility