Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Metallothionein (MT) isoforms in the central nervous system (CNS): regional and cell-specific distribution and potential functions as an antioxidant.

Authors: Aschner, M

Published In Neurotoxicology, (1998 Aug-Oct)

Abstract: Similar to the "housekeeping" functions ascribed to MTs in other tissues, central nervous system (CNS) metallothioneins (MTs) are implicated in metal metabolism, cellular repair processes, growth and differentiation, where they are likely to serve as the source of zinc for newly synthesized apoenzymes, as well as regulator molecules in gene expression. Additional likely functions of MTs include control of intracellular redox potential, and metal detoxification. This manuscript will focus on (1) the distribution of MT isoforms within the CNS, with particular emphasis on the cell-specific localization of MTs and its significance, (2) emerging accounts on the function of MT as an antioxidant, and (3) the relationship between MT and ethanol (EtOH)-induced neurotoxicity in a model system of neonatal rat primary astrocyte cultures.

PubMed ID: 9745925 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Animals; Antioxidants/metabolism*; Central Nervous System/cytology; Central Nervous System/metabolism*; Humans; Isomerism; Metallothionein/metabolism*; Metallothionein/physiology*; Rats; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Back
to Top
Last Reviewed: October 07, 2024