Metal binding ability of metallothionein-3 expressed in Escherichia coli.

Metallothionein-3/growth inhibitory factor is a brain-specific member of the metallothionein gene family, and impairs the survival and neurite formation of cultured neurons. Metallothionein-3 can bind heavy metals such as Zn, Cu, or Cd almost in the same way as other metallothionein family. However, its biological function as growth inhibitory factor apparently distinguishes metallothionein-3 from other metallothioneins.

Nonylphenol enhances apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in PC12 cells.

Although nonylphenol is well known as an endocrine disrupting chemical, there is little information concerning biological effect of nonylphenol. In this study, we investigated effect of nonylphenol on apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in PC12 cells using TUNEL and DNA fragmentation assays. In addition, changes in contents of proapoptotic factors, Bad and Bax, and antiapoptotic factor, Bcl-2, and enzyme activity of caspase-3 were studied.

Bcl-2-linked apoptosis due to increase in NO synthase in brain of SAMP10.

We examined the linkage of nitric oxide (NO)-induced apoptosis to acceleration of brain aging of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 10 (SAMP10). The expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) increased in the cerebral cortex of the brain of SAMP10 in an age-dependent manner and significantly higher levels of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) were observed in both young and old SAMP10 as compared to age-matched controls. Moreover, a lower level of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and a higher level of pro-apoptotic protein cytochrome c in cytosol were observed in SAMP10 compared to the control.