Metallothioneins have a high content of cysteine residues that bind various heavy metals; these proteins are transcriptionally regulated by both heavy metals and glucocorticoids.
The E2F transcription factors induce the expression of many genes in response to specific extracellular stimuli. Here, we show that human metallothionein 1G (hMT1G) promoter is upregulated by E2F1 upon VEGF stimulation of human aortic endothelial cells.