Chemical modifications of metallothionein. Preparation and characterization of polymers.

Reaction of rat liver metallothionein-II with two bifunctional cross-linking reagents, glutaraldehyde and dimethyl suberimidate, produces high yields of polymeric species. It is argued that cross-linking is trapping preformed aggregates of the protein, which therefore represent a stabilized quaternary structure of metallothionein. The two polymeric species differ in a number of respects. With dimethyl suberimidate, the polymer retains all metal-binding sites of the monomer, and has an unaltered isoelectric point. Reaction with glutaraldehyde causes loss of one or two Cd2+/Zn2+-binding sites and elevates the pI. Both species are nearly spherical aggregates, in contrast with the highly asymmetrical metallothionein. Both polymers are linked through lysine residues, and the thiol groups remain reduced. The biological significance of these aggregates is discussed.