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Transcriptional regulation of mouse liver metallothionein-I gene by glucocorticoids

Nature volume 291, pages 340–342 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

Glucocorticoid hormones play an important part in the regulation of many essential metabolic processes1. These include the synthesis of stress-related ‘acute-phase’ proteins2 and the timing of developmental events in numerous tissues including fetal lung, liver and intestine, and adult mammary gland1. Among the proteins that are induced by glucocorticoids during stress and fetal development are the metallothioneins (MT)3–6. These small, cysteine-rich proteins are found primarily in the liver and kidney. They bind heavy metals and are thought to be involved in zinc homeostasis and heavy metal detoxification7. We show here that the accumulation of MT mRNA in mouse liver in response to the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, is due to transcriptional activation of the metallothionein gene.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA

    Lisa J. Hager & Richard D. Palmiter

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  1. Lisa J. Hager
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  2. Richard D. Palmiter
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Hager, L., Palmiter, R. Transcriptional regulation of mouse liver metallothionein-I gene by glucocorticoids. Nature 291, 340–342 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/291340a0

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