To better understand the regulation of the metallothioneins in the liver, we examined metallothionein induction in response to three diverse stimuli: viral infection with influenza virus (H1N1), herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), HBV, or HCV, cytokine treatment (IFN-α, IFN-λ3 and IL-6) and metal exposure (iron, copper and zinc). Here, IL6 is linked to viral infectious disease.