INDUCTION OF HEPATIC ZINC-BINDING PROTEINS OF RATS BY VARIOUS METALS

Zinc distribution in hepatic soluble fractions separated on Sephadex G-75, of rats treated with Ag+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, Ni2+, In3+, Cr3+ or Sn4+ was studied and new zinc peaks were found in metal elution profile. Positions of these zinc peaks were correspondent with that of Cd2+-induced metallothionein. It is thought that these metal cations induced metallothionein or some proteins similar to metal-lothionein and that zinc linked to the proteins. Only silver and copper were in-corporated by the proteins and the other metals were not detected in the positions of the new zinc peaks.