Cadmium, an effector in the synthesis of thionein

Cadmium can elicit the synthesis of thionein in liver cells independent of tissue-organ interactions. The metal diffuses across the plasma membrane and is partitioned between subcellular components in a time dependent manner such that thionein synthesis responds to levels of nonspecifically and specifically bound cytoplasmic metal. Cadmium appears to function at the transcriptional level, and the metal may act to increase the pool of specific m-RNA's.