Clinical and Pathologic Involvement of MT

Certain inherited diseases are associated with abnormal trace metal metabolism, and this may be linked to MT synthesis, either directly or indirectly. Zinc, copper, and iron are the target elements in several diseases, and their concentrations may be altered in disorders of the central nervous system or other physiological systems, including Alzheimer-type dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, acrodermatitis enteropathica, biliary cirrhosis, Wilson s and Menke s diseases (Bremner 1987), epi- 

Bakka A and Webb M (1981) Metabolism of zinc and copper in the neonate changes in the concentrations and contents of thionein-bound Zn and Cu with age in the livers of the newborns of various mammalian species. Biochem Pharmacol 30 721-725. 

Belteamini M and Leech K (1982) Copper transfer between Neurospora copper metallothionein and type 3 copper apoproteins, FEBS Lett 142 219-222. 

Binz pa and Kagi JHR (1999) Metallothionein Molecular evolution and classification. In Klaassen CD, ed. Metallothionein IV, pp. 7-13. Birk-hauser Verlag, Basel. 

Blindauee CA, Harrison MD, Parkinson JA, Robinson AK, Cavet JS, Robinson NJ and Sadler PJ (2001) A metallothionein containing a zinc finger within a four metal cluster protects a bacterium from zinc toxicity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98 9593-9598. 

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