锌转运体基因（ZnT)在脑组织中的表达及功能研究

Zinc is one of the essential elements to human body, however, the study of its transportation mechanism especially in brain is a difficult problem in nutrition research. What we have done in this project will provide important basement to further explain the function of zinc and zinc transporters in brain. We have fed rat mice with four levels dietary zinc. The rat were killed after three weeks, then the brains were prepared for ice section; The precise distribution of zinc and ZnT3 detected by nuclear scan probe and in situ hybridization, respectively. With the same methods, we established the ICR mice model and examined the expression of ZnT3、DMT1、MT1 mRNA induced by different zinc diet. We also examined those gene expression in primary culture hippocampus neuron in vitro by real time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The results are as follow.: The immature rat were very sensitive to zinc deficiency, so the zinc is essential to their normal growth and development; The zinc concentration in testis and cortex were decreased significantly by the zinc deficiency; The DMT1 induction in young rat with low zinc diet were decreased markedly.

近年克隆到4种参与锌转运的蛋白基因——锌转运体（Zinc Transporters,ZnT)，使深入研啃坑肿踊沓晌赡堋Ｄ壳坝泄豘NT在脑组织中表在客功能的研究还较少。本项目利用in situ、Northern杂交及RT—PCR等技术研究ZNT在脑组织中表达分布与锌营养代谢的关系焕梅匆錜NA等技术研究ZNT在神经元中的功能，为阐明ZNT及锌在脑功能中作用机理提供理论依据。