BACKGROUND Metallothioneins are ubiquitous small, cysteine-rich, multifunctional proteins which can bind heavy metals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We report the results of phylogenetic and gene expression analyses that include two new Tetrahymena thermophila metallothionein genes (MTT3 and MTT5). Sequence alignments of all known Tetrahymena metallothioneins have allowed us to rationalize t...

Attempts to crosslink metallothionein through lysine residues have resulted in trapping of octameric structures. Two such polymers have been characterized. They are of a critical size for glomerular filtration, and unique tissue distributions of cadmium arise when they are injected into rats.

Nanotechnology is an area of intense commercial development, and concerns have been raised about the possible impacts to the environment. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (nanoZnO) are used in transparent sunscreens and may find their way into the environment through wastewater treatment plants and through skin contact with water. The purpose of this study was to examine the bioavailability of Zn in fa...

Metallothioneins belong to the group of intracellular, high molecular and cysteine-rich proteins whose content increase with increasing concentration of a heavy metal. Here we applied the adsorptive transfer stripping differential pulse voltammetry Brdicka reaction for the determination of metallothionein in human blood serum of patient poisoned by lead and/or treated by platinum. The increased...

Metallothioneins (MTs) are ubiquitous low molecular weight proteins characterized by their abundant content of cysteines. Two MT isoforms, MT-I and MT-II, are expressed coordinately in all mammalian tissues. In the CNS, MT-I and MT-II are conspicuously absent from neuronal populations, yet abundant in fibrous and protoplasmic astrocytes. A newly identified brain-specific MT gene, MT-III, is pre...

Metallothioneins isolated from the hepatopancreas of the edible crab (Cancer paqurus) and the plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) after cadmium injection are predominantly cadmium proteins containing only small amounts of zinc and traces of copper. The removal of metal ions from the two metallothioneins by EDTA was studied using proton NMR spectroscopy. The rates of removal of cadmium and zinc were ...