Abstract
The level of metallothionein III mRNA and protein, a brain-specific isoform of metallothionein (MT), was investigated in the brain of MT-I and -II gene knockout (MT-null) mice exposed to 20 Gy whole-body γ-irradiation. Because MT-null mice did not express MT-I or MT-II isoforms, the total brain MT content in these mice represented the isoform MT-III only. MT-III protein content was determined by a cadmiumbinding assay, and the MT mRNA level was measured by reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Both MT-III protein content and mRNA expression in the brains of MT-null mice were not affected by exposure to whole-body irradiation. These results indicate that mouse brain MT-III expression is not induced by ionizing radiation.
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Ono, SI., Cai, L., Koropatnick, J. et al. Radiation exposure does not alter metallothionein III isoform expression in mouse brain. Biol Trace Elem Res 74, 23–30 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:74:1:23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/BTER:74:1:23