Zinc-Induced Metallothionein in Centenarian Offspring From a Large European Population: The MARK-AGE Project

Metallothionein (MT) family are cysteine-rich proteins that regulate zinc (Zn) homeostasis and protect against oxidative damage. Studies in transgenic mice have shown that MT favourably influence longevity, although their role in human aging is not completely understood. Within the European multicenter study MARK-AGE, we analysed MT induction after Zn treatment in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and its relation with redox biomarkers in 2,936 age-stratified subjects (35-75 years) including the general population (RASIG), centenarian offspring (GO), and their spouses (SGO).

Giacconi R, Costarelli L, Piacenza F, Basso A, Bürkle A, Moreno-Villanueva M, Grune T, Weber D, Stuetz W, Gonos ES, Schön C, Grubeck-Loebenstein B, Sikora E, Toussaint O, Debacq-Chainiaux F, Franceschi C, Hervonen A, Slagboom E, Ciccarone F, Zampieri M, Caiafa P, Jansen E, Dollé MET, Breusing N, Mocchegiani E, Malavolta M

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018 May 9; 73(6):745-753. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glx192