Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Aug 7;206(2):150-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2004.12.015.

Metallothionein gene expression in peripheral lymphocytes and renal dysfunction in a population environmentally exposed to cadmium

Jian Lu  1 , Taiyi Jin, Gunnar Nordberg, Monica Nordberg
Affiliations

Metallothionein gene expression in peripheral lymphocytes and renal dysfunction in a population environmentally exposed to cadmium

Jian Lu et al. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. .

Abstract

In order to study the validity of metallothionein (MT) gene expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) as a biomarker of cadmium exposure and susceptibility to renal dysfunction, MT mRNA levels were measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in PBLs from residents living in a cadmium-contaminated area. MT mRNA levels were found to increase with the increase of blood cadmium (BCd) and urinary cadmium (UCd) levels. Basal MT mRNA levels were significantly correlated with the logarithm of BCd levels and the logarithm of UCd levels confirming that MT expression in PBLs is a biomarker of cadmium exposure and internal dose. An inverse relationship was observed between in vitro induced MT-mRNA level in PBLs and urinary N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (UNAG) suggesting that MT gene expression in PBLs may be used as a biomarker of susceptibility to renal toxicity of cadmium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types