Effect of metallothionein I on mitochondrial oxygen consumption.

The effect of the stress-induced, cysteine-rich protein, metallothionein I (MT), on oxygen consumption by rat liver mitochondria was studied. Using a Clark-type oxygen electrode we found that electron transport from succinate to oxygen was enhanced by MT whereas ADP-initiated oxygen consumption was inhibited by MT. The MT effect was concentration dependent. No evidence was found for the provision by MT of an alternate pathway to oxygen.