Metal Regulatory Transcription Factor 1 (MTF1)

Metal regulatory transcription factor 1 is a transcription factor that induces expression of metallothioneins and other genes involved in metal homeostasis in response to heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, copper, and silver. The protein is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein that accumulates in the nucleus upon heavy metal exposure and binds to promoters containing a metal-responsive element (MRE).

The human protein has 753 amino acids with 93% amino acid sequence identity to the mouse protein and has an extension of 78 amino acids at the C terminus without counterpart in the mouse. In the 2 species the factor has the same overall structure, including 6 zinc fingers in the DNA binding domain.