title: Luminescent Ag12-metallothionein: dependence of emission intensity on silver-thiolate cluster formation.
abstract: We report the observation of emission intensity at 77 K that is a function of Ag(I)-thiolate bonds formation within the protein metallothionein. The emission characteristics (a large, 250 nm, Stokes shift and long emission lifetime) suggests that the transition occurs from the excited triplet state. The emission intensity and circular dichroism both indicate that silver(I) clusters form with stoichiometric ratios of 12 Ag(I) to the 20 thiolate sulfur groups that are present in the protein. These data are the first to show that Ag(I)-metallothionein complexes are luminescent and that a specific Ag12-MT species forms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stillman
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Zelazowski
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gasyna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008099:Liver; D049449:Luminescence; D008668:Metallothionein; D011817:Rabbits; D012834:Silver; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D012834:Silver; D008668:Metallothionein