R. Kuroshima, HEPATIC METALLOTHIONEIN AND GLUTATHIONE LEVELS IN RED-SEA BREAM, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part C, Pharmacology toxicology & endocrinology, 110(1), 1995, pp. 95-100
The relationship between hepatic metallothionein (MT) and glutathione
(GSH) in the Red Sea bream, Pagrus major, following treatment with cad
mium (Cd), zinc (Zn), buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), and trans-stilbene
oxide (TSO) was sought, Cd and Zn caused an increase in total GSH con
centration and induced MT, BSO greatly decreased total GSH but apparen
tly caused no synthesis of MT. TSO treatment resulted in a slight decr
ease in GSH concentration and a significant increase in MT. Pretreatme
nt with BSO had no effect on MT synthesis caused by Cd, Zn and TSO. Th
e total GSH level thus appears to be not directly involved in the regu
lation of MT concentration in Red Sea bream liver, MT induced by Cd, Z
n and TSO was noted to have two isoforms, Their ratio when induced by
Zn was different from that in the case of induction by Cd or TSO. The
isoforms of MT may thus have different biological functions.