抄録
The cataract is promoted by UV irradiation. It is well known that the main causes of UV induced cataract are reactive oxygen species which are generated by UV irradiation. Metallothionein regulates detoxification from heavy metals, and free radical scavenging in living tissues. In this study, we analyzed the expression and induction of Metallothionein-I (MT-I) by UV irradiation using mouse lens epithelial cell line (alphaTN 4-1). AlphaTN 4-1 was irradiated by UV with various doses, and then the cells were incubated for several hours. After incubation each cells were collected and the expression of MT-I mRNA was analyzed by the quantitative RT-PCR method. The relative amounts of MT-I mRNA were normalized against GAPDH mRNA. MT-I was constantly expressed in alphaTN 4-1 and induced by UV irradiation. The amounts of MT-I mRNA changed with increasing dose of UV irradiation. These results suggest that MT-I is activated by UV irradiation and can function as a radical scavenger in lens. [J Radiat Res 44:415 (2003)]
