Most living organisms express a number of small cysteine-rich metalloproteins with strong binding capacity of transition metals, which are known as metallothioneins (MTs). Plant MTs are differentially expressed in various plant organs, as well as developmentally regulated and inducible in response to a wide variety of environmental stimuli and stressors. However, there is still limited knowledge regarding their physiological functions in plants. Here we present some fundamental steps towards a functional characterisation of a barley (Hordeum vulgare) type 2 metallothionein promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana
