The partition of copper and cadmium between different charge-forms of metallothionein in the digestive tubules of the crab, Cancer pagurus.

In the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol DEAE cellulose chromatography of desalted hepatopancreas cytosols of crabs rich in both copper and cadmium yielded three peaks, probably all due to metallothioneins, with very different copper to cadmium ratios. Addition of a copper glycine complex to a desalted crab cytosol containing cadmium metallothionein gave a chromatogram similar to that obtained by in vivo administration of copper and cadmium. The chromatographic distribution of the metals between the different charge-forms in the distal and proximal portions of the tubules was basically similar although the concentrations of the metals were different.