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Metallothionein-3 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase levels in brains from the Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

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Abstract

Using antiserum against the recombinant isoform 3 of mouse brain metallothionein (MT3), the amount of MT3 protein was determined in whole brain homogenates from the Tg2576 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's Disease. Twenty-two month old transgenic positive mice showed a 27% decrease of MT3 normalized to the total protein in the extracts compared to same age, control transgenic negative mice. Metallothioneins bind seven molar equivalents of divalent metal ions per mole of protein so metal levels also were measured in these whole brain extracts using inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption (ICP-AA) spectrometry. No significant difference was observed for any metal assayed. Because neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is involved in neurodegenerative disease and nitric oxide specifically interacts with MT3, the concentration and total nNOS activity also were evaluated. The transgenic positive mice showed a decrease of 28% in nNOS protein compared to the same age transgenic negative mice. Normalized to the amount of nNOS protein, total NOS activity was higher in the transgenic positive mice. These data showed that protein levels of both MT3 and nNOS were reduced in transgenic positive mice that show many characteristics of Alzheimer's Disease. In vitro studies suggested that MT3 was not a likely candidate for directly affecting nNOS activity in the brain.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Alzheimer's Disease

EGTA:

ethylene glycol bis(β-amino ethyl ether)N,N′-tetraacetate

ICP-AA:

inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrometry

MT1:

isoform 1 of metallothionein

MT2:

isoform 2 of metallothionein

MT3:

isoform 3 of metallothionein

Cd7-MT3:

MT3 containing seven molar-equivalents of cadmium MT3

NO:

nitric oxide

NOS:

nitric oxide synthase

pNP:

para-nitrophenol

pNPP:

para-nitrophenyl phosphate

TBS:

tris buffered saline

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.

    Bruce L. Martin & Abigail M. Tokheim

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.

    Patrick T. McCarthy, Brendan S. Doms, Andrew A. Davis & Ian M. Armitage

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, 6-155 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Street, SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U.S.A.

    Ian M. Armitage

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  1. Bruce L. Martin
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  2. Abigail M. Tokheim
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Correspondence to Ian M. Armitage.

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Martin, B.L., Tokheim, A.M., McCarthy, P.T. et al. Metallothionein-3 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase levels in brains from the Tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Cell Biochem 283, 129–137 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-006-2390-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-006-2390-7

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