Binding of mercury to metallothionein-like protein in fetal liver of the guinea pig following in utero exposure to mercury vapor.

After exposure of pregnant guinea pigs to mercury vapor, the soluble fraction of maternal or fetal liver was chromatographed on a Sephadex G-75 column. In the fetal liver, more than 50% of the mercury was bound to metallothionein-like protein having a molecular weight of about 10,000-12,000. On the other hand, the bulk of the eluted mercury in the maternal liver was associated with a high molecular weight protein, with only a small amount associated with metallothionein-like protein. The findings suggest that fetal metallothionein-like protein plays a role in preventing further distribution of mercury after in utero exposure to mercury vapor.