[Research progress in brain-specific metallothionein-III]

Metallothionein-III (MT-III) is a low molecular weight protein characterized by its abundant content of cysteins. It is predominantly expressed in the zinc-containing neurons and associated with the development of brain. MT-III inhibits the survival and neurite formation of the cultured neurons in vitro. It has comparatively specific affinity for zinc, thus may regulate the zinc-dependent biological processes. Studies demonstrating that MT-III is down-regulated in Alzheimer's disease and that MT-III "knockout" mice appear highly sensitive to kainate-induced seizures suggest that it may play important roles in some degenerative diseases of the brain.