title: Regulatory role of metallothionein in NF-kappaB activation.
abstract: Metallothionein (MT), a low molecular weight, cysteine-rich metal binding protein, has been associated with cytoprotection from heavy metals and cellular oxidants. As MT has the ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals, MT may control intracellular redox status. In the present study, we examined whether MT regulates the activity of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), which is one of the redox-regulated transcription factors, using the MT null embryonic cell lines established from MT null mice. We first found that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced activation of the binding of NF-kappaB protein to DNA in wild type MT+/+ cells was lower than that in MT-/- cells. The NF-kappaB activation in MT-expressing cells established from MT-/- cells by the transfection of mouse MT-1 gene was also significantly lower than that in MT-/- cells. In addition, transfection of the MT gene inhibited TNF-induced IkappaB degradation and suppressed NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression induced by TNF. These results demonstrate that MT may function as a negative regulator of NF-kappaB activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Imura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006868:Hydrolysis; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008668:Metallothionein