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Gene Review:

mt4 - metallothionein 4

Xenopus laevis

Saint-Jacques, E. et al., Durliat, M. et al., Saint-Jacques, E. et al., Muller, J.P. et al.

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High impact information on mt-A

The gene displays an overall structure similar to that of mammalian MT, with three exons interrupted by two introns [1].
Recognition sites for the transcription factors, AP-1 and AP-2, are located within the first 180 bp of the promoter region and these elements appear to be involved in controlling the constitutive basal level of expression of this MT [1].
MT expression was observed in bucco-pharyngeal epithelium, pronephros and liver anlagen, aswell as in lens and periventricular areas of the encephalon [2].
MT transcripts, in both larvae and adults, were detected in diverse regions of the central nervous system and in differentiating tissues implicated in detoxification processes: liver hepatocytes, small intestine epithelia and kidney tubules [2].
Zinc, cadmium, and copper ions are very efficient inducers of MT mRNA accumulation in Xenopus liver and cell lines [3].

Biological context of mt-A

A cDNA encoding Xenopus laevis metallothionein (MT) was cloned from a cDNA library constructed using liver poly(A+)RNA of X. laevis adult males treated with CdCl2 [4].
The amino acid sequence of this X. laevis MT, designated XIMT-A, shares between 60% and 67% identity with various vertebrate MTs [4].

Anatomical context of mt-A

Using this sequence, we designed oligonucleotide primers to amplify and isolate a MT clone from a XL2 cell line cDNA library [3].

Associations of mt-A with chemical compounds

Dexamethasone did not induce MT mRNA synthesis in the liver [4].
The position of all the cysteine residues is conserved with respect to mammalian MT sequences [4].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of mt-A

The probe used to screen the library was a MT-specific DNA fragment obtained by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and degenerate oligodeoxynucleotide primers [4].
Expression of the Xenopus laevis metallothionein (MT) gene was studied by in situ hybridization throughout development [2].

References

Structure and metal-regulated expression of the gene encoding Xenopus laevis metallothionein-A. Saint-Jacques, E., April, M.J., Séguin, C. Gene (1995) [Pubmed]
Expression of the Xenopus laevis metallothionein gene during ontogeny. Durliat, M., Muller, J.P., André, M., Wegnez, M. Int. J. Dev. Biol. (1999) [Pubmed]
Molecular cloning and expression of a metallothionein mRNA in Xenopus laevis. Muller, J.P., Wouters-Tyrou, D., Erraiss, N.E., Vedel, M., Touzet, N., Mesnard, J., Sautiere, P., Wegnez, M. DNA Cell Biol. (1993) [Pubmed]
Cloning and nucleotide sequence of a complementary DNA encoding Xenopus laevis metallothionein: mRNA accumulation in response to heavy metals. Saint-Jacques, E., Séguin, C. DNA Cell Biol. (1993) [Pubmed]

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