title: Expression of metallothionein-I, -II, and -III in Alzheimer disease and animal models of neuroinflammation.
abstract: In recent years it has become increasingly clear that the metallothionein (MT) family of proteins is important in neurobiology. MT-I and MT-II are normally dramatically up-regulated by neuroinflammation. Results for MT-III are less clear. MTs could also be relevant in human neuropathology. In Alzheimer disease (AD), a major neurodegenerative disease, clear signs of inflammation and oxidative stress were detected associated with amyloid plaques. Furthermore, the number of cells expressing apoptotic markers was also significantly increased in these plaques. As expected, MT-I and MT-II immunostaining was dramatically increased in cells surrounding the plaques, consistent with astrocytosis and microgliosis, as well as the increased oxidative stress elicited by the amyloid deposits. MT-III, in contrast, remained essentially unaltered, which agrees with some but not all studies, of AD. In situ hybridization results in a transgenic mouse model of AD amyloid deposits, the Tg2576 mouse, which expresses human Abeta precursor protein harboring the Swedish K670N/M671L mutations, are in accordance with results in human brains. Overall, these and other studies strongly suggest specific roles for MT-I, MT-II, and MT-III in brain physiology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurosciences, Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Animal Physiology Unit, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain 08193. Juan.Hidalgo@uab.es
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penkowa
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Espejo
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Martínez-Cáceres
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molinero
authors.forename: Sergi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Florit
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giralt
authors.forename: Arantxa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ortega-Aznar
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007249:Inflammation / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D008668:Metallothionein