Competition between iron(III)-selective chelators and zinc-finger domains for zinc(II)

Many iron(III)-selective chelators possess an appreciable affinity for zinc (II) and this can prove to be undesirable when such chelators are being ass essed for clinical application. At present, there is no useful test availab le which can reliably access this problem. In the present manuscript, we pr ovide evidence that indicates that a zinc-finger protein MTF-I, (metal tran scription factor-1) may prove to be a suitable candidate. N,N',2-hydroxyben zyl ethylenediamine diacetic acid, in contrast to desferrioxamine, removes zinc quite efficiently from MTF-1. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.