Zinc distribution in mouse brain by SRXRF

In order to explore the interaction between the expression of ZnT3 (Zinc Transporter 3) mRNA (Messenger Ribonucleic Acid) and the concentration of elemental zinc in mouse brain, zinc distribution in brain was determined by synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) technique and a ZnT3 mRNA expression in tissue was examined by the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The results show that the zinc concentration is not evenly distributed in brain slices. Its concentrations in cerebral cortex and hippocampus are nearly 5-10 times higher than those in other positions. A corresponding relation is that ZnT3 mRNA in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and testis has higher abundant degree, but it is not examined out in other tissues. Furthermore, the results promote that ZnT3 facilitates the accumulation of zinc in synaptic vesicles and may play an important role in structuring of vesicular zinc pool.