title: The distribution of soluble copper- and zinc-binding proteins in goat liver.
abstract: The distribution of copper and zinc in the soluble proteins from goat liver after gel filtration were determined. Samples from normal slaughtered animals as well as from experimentally copper-loaded goats were tested. The copper- and zinc-binding proteins were mainly separated into 3 different fractions. The approximate molecular weights were greater than 65,000, 35,000 and 10,000. Varying amounts of zinc were eluted in a fourth fraction of molecular weight less than 2000. The results indicate that the distribution of copper and zinc among soluble metal-binding proteins are highly dependent on the total liver zinc concentration. In the majority of samples, with zinc levels within 20 to 45 microgram/g wet weight, the dominating copper- and zinc-binding protein fraction was the high-molecular weight fraction. This did not seem to be influenced by the total liver copper level. In the samples with high total zinc levels (greater than 60 microgram/g w.w.) there was a shift in protein distribution of both metals toward the low-molecular weight fractions.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D006041:Goats; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011485:Protein Binding; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc