Human metallothionein-3 (Zn(7)MT-3), an intra- and extracellularly occurring metalloprotein, is highly expressed in the brain, where it plays an important role in the homeostasis of the essential metal ions Cu(+) and Zn(2+). Like other mammalian metallothioneins (MT-1 and -2), the protein contains a M(II)(3)(CysS)(9) and a M(II)(4)(CysS)(11) cluster localized in two independent protein domains linked by a flexible hinge region. However, there is a substantially increased number of acidic residues in MT-3 (11 residues) compared with MT-2 (four residues) which may act as binding ligands for additional metal ions. In this study, the binding of Zn(2+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) to human Zn(7)MT-3 and its mutant lacking an acidic hexapeptide insert, Zn(7)MT-3(Delta55-60), was investigated and compared with the binding of Zn(7)MT-2. By using spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques, we demonstrate that one additional Zn(2+) binds with an apparent binding constant (K(app)) of approximately 100 microM to Zn(7)MT-3 and Zn(7)MT-3(Delta55-60), but not to Zn(7)MT-2. The changes in spectroscopic features of metal-thiolate clusters and gel filtration behavior reveal that the formation of Zn(8)MT-3 is immediate and is accompanied by a decrease in the Stokes radius (R(s)). The changes in the R(s) suggest a mutual approach of both protein domains. The fast binding of Zn(2+) is followed by a slow time-dependent protein dimerization. The binding of Zn(2+) to Zn(7)MT-3 is specific as in the presence of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) only an alteration of the R(s) of Zn(7)MT-3 at substantially higher concentrations was observed. The significance of these findings for the biological role of MT-3 is discussed.

Infidelity has a devastating effect on relationships and is a common reason for seeking couple therapy. However, few empirical studies have demonstrated effective models or strategies for treating this issue. An exception is integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT). Nevertheless, IBCT's specific contributions to this therapeutic problem have not been the main focus of any publication. This article briefly mentions the effects that infidelity has on intimate partner relationships and presents the empirical evidence for IBCT's utility in treating affairs. It places special focus on exploring infidelity using IBCT's explanatory model. The application of various IBCT strategies and techniques in infidelity cases is explained both in general and with concrete examples. Whether couple therapy in cases of infidelity should focus specifically on the affair or on a wider scope of issues is discussed, as well as new directions for infidelity research within an IBCT framework.

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) has demonstrated its efficacy treating severe couple conflict. Nevertheless, its capacity to prevent such conflicts before they appear has not been analyzed. The following empirical study examines the effectiveness of a conflict prevention program based on IBCT’s main therapeutic strategies (empathic joining, unified detachment). A sample of 12 individuals (six couples) from the Community of Madrid completed the DAS (Spanier, 1976; Martín-Lanas et al., 2017), IBCTQ (Barraca et al., 2017), and ASPA-A (Carrasco, 1996) pre-treatment, posttreatment, and at a three-year follow up. Three of these couples were randomly assigned to the experimental group, in which they received five, 120-minute sessions of an IBCT-based conflict prevention program. The three remaining couples were assigned to a control group and received no treatment. Results indicated that the experimental couples grew in their acceptance of differences and significantly improved their level of empathic joining and unified detachment; they also manifested greater satisfaction in their total DAS score. At the three-year follow up, neither group showed significant changes with regard to their posttreatment scores. Although the data are based on a small number of couples and should be replicated, the results suggest that a program based on IBCT strategies can help prevent couple conflict up to three years after its application.