Article: Metallothionein I and II protect against zinc deficiency and zinc toxicity in mice

ABSTRACT Metallothionein (MT)-bound zinc accumulates when animals are exposed to excess zinc and is depleted under conditions of zinc deficiency, suggesting that MT serves as a means of sequestering excess zinc as well as a zinc reservoir that can be utilized when zinc is deficient. To examine the importance of MT for these processes, mice with null alleles of both MT I and MT II genes were created and the zinc concentration and histological appearance of multiple organs assessed. At birth, the hepatic zinc concentration of these MT-null mice was lower than that of wildtype controls (0.27 + 0.02 vs. 0.65 + 0.11 mu m mol zinc/ g tissue, P < 0.05). During the next 3 wk of suckling ...

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