Transition metals, such as iron, copper, and zinc, play a very important role in life as the regulators of various physiochemical reactions in cells. Abnormal distribution and concentration of these metals in the body are closely associated with various diseases including ischemic seizure, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer. Iron and copper are known to be mainly involved in in vivo redox reaction. Zinc controls a variety of intracellular metabolism via binding to lots of proteins in cells and altering their structure and function. Metallothionein-3 (MT3) is a representative zinc binding protein predominant in the brain. Although the role of MT3 in other organs still needs to be elucidated, many reports have suggested critical roles for the protein in the control of a variety of cellular homeostasis. Here, we review various biological functions of MT3, focusing on different cellular molecules and diseases involving MT3 in the body.

中文翻译：

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Metallothionein-3 作为控制细胞过程和疾病的多功能参与者。

铁、铜、锌等过渡金属作为细胞内各种理化反应的调节剂，在生命中发挥着非常重要的作用。这些金属在体内的异常分布和浓度与缺血性癫痫、阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病、癌症等多种疾病密切相关。已知铁和铜主要参与体内氧化还原反应。锌通过与细胞中的大量蛋白质结合并改变其结构和功能来控制各种细胞内代谢。金属硫蛋白-3 (MT3) 是大脑中主要的代表性锌结合蛋白。尽管 MT3 在其他器官中的作用仍需阐明，但许多报告表明该蛋白在控制多种细胞稳态中发挥着关键作用。在此，我们回顾MT3的各种生物学功能，重点关注体内涉及MT3的不同细胞分子和疾病。