Decreased neurofilament density in large myelinated axons of metallothionein-I, II knockout mice.

Metallothioneins (MTs) are small proteins, two isoforms (I, II) of which bind metals. Their physiological role has been difficult to establish, but recent reports suggested that they serve an important function in nerve repair and in the protection against oxidative stress in the peripheral nervous system. We previously reported a decreased axon calibre in the large myelinated fibres of the phrenic nerve in the MT-I, II double knock out (MT-I, II KO) mouse model.

The expression and significance of metallothioneins in murine organs and tissues following mercury vapour exposure.

The fate of inspired mercury vapour (Hg0) is critical in the central nervous system (CNS) where it can circumvent the blood-brain barrier (BBB) at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and accumulate indefinitely in motor neurons by retrograde transport. The detoxification of systemic Hg0 by lung and liver requires investigation. We exposed 129/Sv wild-type (Wt) and 129/Sv MT-I, II double knockout (KO) mice to 500 microg Hg0/m3 for 4 hours to investigate the expression of MT in the lung, liver, and spinal cord following Hg0 exposure using unexposed groups as controls.