Identification and characterization of metallothionein cDNA from mRNA transcripts induced by starvation in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

A cDNA from metallothionein (MT) messenger RNA was identified in a library representing mRNA transcripts that are abundant in starving Atlantic cod larvae. The cod MT cDNA is closely related to MT mRNAs from other fish species and codes for a predicted 60 amino acid peptide. In adult cod liver MT mRNA is abundant and it is detected in cod eggs and larvae. Levels of MT mRNA were four times higher in three-week-old cod larvae starved for six days than in fed larvae, while starvation of four-week-old larvae for eight days resulted in a nearly seven-fold elevation in MT mRNA levels.