title: Protective effect of metallothionein to ras DNA damage induced by hydrogen peroxide and ferric ion-nitrilotriacetic acid.
abstract: Metallothionein (MT) is a strong antioxidant, due to a large number of thiol groups in the MT molecule and MT has been found in the nucleus. To investigate whether MT can directly protect DNA from damage induced by hydroxyl radical, the effects of MTs on DNA strand scission due to incubation with ferric ion-nitrilotriacetic acid and H2O2 (Fe3+ -NTA/H2O2) were studied. The Fe3+-NTA/H2O2 resulted in a higher rate of deoxyribose degradation, compared to incubation of Fe3+/H2O2, presumably mediated by the formation of hydroxyl radicals (*OH). This degradation was inhibited by either Zn-MT or Cd-MT, but not by Zn2+ or Cd2+ at similar concentrations. The Fe3+ -NTA/H2O2 resulted in a concentration dependent of increase in DNA strand scission. Damage to the sugar-phosphodiester chain was predominant over chemical modifications of the base moieties. Incubation with either Zn-MT or Cd-MT inhibited DNA damage by approximately 50%. Preincubation of MT with EDTA and N-ethylmaleimide, to alkylate sulfhydryl groups of MT, resulted in MT that was no longer able to inhibit DNA damage. These results indicates that MT can protect DNA from hydroxyl radical attack and that the cysteine thiol groups of MT may be involved in its nuclear antioxidant properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Kobe Gakuin University, Ikawadani, kobe, Japan. min@nutr.kobegakuin.ac.jp
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onosaka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000187:drug effects; D003855:Deoxyribose / Q000378:metabolism; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005033:Ethylmaleimide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000235:genetics*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D009571:Nitrilotriacetic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D005290:Ferric Compounds; C004203:cadmium-binding protein; C021267:zinc thionein; D002104:Cadmium; D003855:Deoxyribose; D008668:Metallothionein; D004492:Edetic Acid; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D005978:Glutathione; D015032:Zinc; D009571:Nitrilotriacetic Acid; D005033:Ethylmaleimide; C020326:ferric nitrilotriacetate