Studies on the appearance of a hepatic copper-binding protein in normal and zinc-deficient rats

1. A study has been made by gel-filtration techniques of the soluble copper- and zinc-binding proteins in rat liver after both intraperitoneal injection of Cu and dietary Cu supplementation. 2. Liver Cu and Zn concentrations increased after injection of Cu, both metals accumulating in the cytosol, mainly in a fraction with an apparent molecular weight of about 12 000. 3. When Zn-deficient rats were injected with Cu, there was little change in liver Zn concentration and the occurence of Cu in the low-molecular-weight form (about 12 000) was more transient. At most periods after injection, Cu accumulated mainly in a fraction with a molecular weight greater than 65 000. 4. When the rats were Cu-loaded by dietary supplementation, virtually no Cu or Zn was found in the low-molecular-weight form in Zn-deficient rats, although they were found in the Zn-supplemented animals. 5. The results suggest that Zn is essential for the accumulation of Cu in this form, but not for Cu to stimulate production of the metal-binding protein by a process requiring active protein protein synthesis.