Change of Metallothionein Gene Expression in Peripheral Lymphocytes of Population Environmentally Exposed to Cadmium

In order to investigate whether metallothionein(MT)gene expression level in peripheral blood lymphocyte(PBL)can work as a biomarker of cadmium exposure,MT gene expression level in PBL of population exposed to cadmium was examined using dRT-PCR technique.It was showed that MT basal and induced expression in PBL exhibit dose-effect relationship with exposure level. The results suggested the validity of MT basal expression in PBL as a biomarker of cadmium exposure.