Metallothionein-II (MT-II) is an ubiquitously expressed small-molecular-weight protein and highly induced in various species and tissues upon stress, inflammation, and ischemia. MT-deficiency exacerbates ischemic injury in rodent stroke models in vitro and in vivo. However, there is conflicting data on the potential neuroprotective effect of exogenously applied metallothionein. Thus, we applied...

Metallothionein (MT) is an inducible protein, with a molecular mass of about 7,000. Although MT can bind with metals such as Zn, Cu, Cd, and Ag, Zn7-MT is commonly induced in the organs except the injection of Cu, Cd or Ag [1]. MT exists as two major isoforms MT-1 and MT-2 in mammalian species, and both MTs vary by a few amino acid residues and have consequently very similar hydrophobicities an...

The functional human metallothionein (MT) genes are located on chromosome 16q13. We have physically mapped the functional human MT locus by isolation and restriction digest mapping of cloned DNA. The mapped region contains all sequences on chromosome 16 that hybridize January 7, 2006 2:28 Proceedings Trim Size: 9in x 6in baldwin

MAMMALIAN METALLOTHIONEIN IS REMARKABLE IN ITS METAL BINDING PROPERTIES: well-characterized species exist for metal to sulfur ratios of M(7)S(20), M(12)S(20), and M(18)S(20), where M = Cd(ll), Zn(ll), Hg(ll), Ag(I), Au(I), and Cu(I). Circular dichroism and luminescence spectra provide rich details of a complicated metal binding chemistry when metals are added directly to the metal free- or zinc...

Exposure to low levels of cadmium reduces fertility. In male mice spermatogenesis is highly sensitive to cadmium, whereas in females the peri-implantation period of pregnancy is sensitive. To examine the potential roles of the cadmium-binding protein, metallothionein (MT), in the reproductive toxicology of cadmium, we examined a transgenic mouse strain that overexpresses metallothionein-I (MT-I...

The involvement of macrophages in the induction of metallothionein (MT) synthesis by bacterial endotoxin was studied in vitro. Rat peritoneal macrophages were incubated with endotoxin. The incubation medium from endotoxin-activated macrophages accelerated MT synthesis by human hepatic Chang cells. However, the incubation medium from non-activated macrophages did not. Endotoxin added to the cult...

To clarify the role of metallothionein (MT), an antistress protein, induced by psychological stress, we carried out an experiment to determine whether hepatic MT synthesis induced by restraint stress can be classically conditioned by an olfactory odor cue of camphor. Mice were conditioned by exposure to the odor of camphor 1 hr before restraint stress and partly during restraint stress. Althoug...

Protective effects of metallothionein (MT) have been studied against dimethylnitosamine (DMN) toxicity in laboratory rats. MT was induced by feeding rats on repeated sublethal doses of cadmium and zinc. These rats were subsequently administered DMN. Methemoglobin and nitric oxides, the established markers of DMN toxicity, were estimated in the blood samples of MT protected rats. Preinduction of...

Deletions in chromosome 7 of the mouse affect the expression of the metallothionein gene Mt-1, which maps on chromosome 8, and steady-state levels of Mt-1 mRNA are reduced to 15-40% of normal in livers of newborn mice homozygous for either the c3H or c14CoS deletion. Glucocorticoids fail to induce hepatic Mt-1 mRNA levels in deletion homozygotes in contrast to normal littermates. However, zinc ...

OBJECTIVE To study the gene expression of metallothionein 1 (MT-1) isoforms in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs). METHODS The expression of mRNA representing the seven active MT-1 genes was determined in HPBLs by quantitative RT-PCR before and after exposure to cadmium. RESULTS Basal expressions of MT-1X, and MT-1A in HPBLs were similar to expression of housekeeping gene. In contra...