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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells
Published on: May 16, 2019
[Location and effects of metallothioneins in male reproductive system]
Xue-Jun Shang1, Yi Wu, Yu-Feng Huang
1Department of Andrology, School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University Medical College, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Command, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
Abstract:
Metallothioneins (MTs) are a group of intracellular proteins of low molecular weight and rich cysteine, encoded by a family of genes containing at least 10 functional isoforms in human. MTs widely exist in the male reproductive system and are involved in many pathophysiological processes such as metal ion homeostasis and detoxification, protection against oxidative damage, cell proliferation and apoptosis, chemoresistance and radiotherapy resistance. This review describes the location and effects of MTs in the male reproductive system.
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