DIFFERENTIAL DECREASE OF COPPER CONTENT AND OF COPPER-BINDING TO SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE IN LIVER, HEART AND BRAIN OF COPPER-DEFICIENT RATS

Dietary copper-deficiency in rats produced a organ-specific decrease o f copper content. This was paralleled by a decrease of the activity of the copper-enzyme superoxide dismutase. In liver such a decrease is p artially due to the existence of an ape-form of superoxide dismutase, which can be reactivated by addition of exogenous copper to tissue ext racts. These results demonstrate in vivo that superoxide dismutase is post-translationally modulated by copper in higher vertebrates as prev iously found for yeast and mammalian cells in culture. (C) 1994 Academ ic Press, Inc.