Investigation of Copper Binding to Hydrosoluble Proteins of an Amphipod

This study investigated the body copper accumulation in the amphipod Gammarus sp.. Groups of copper-binding proteins were also investigated considering their molecular weights. Regarding copper accumulation, a saturation type kinetics was observed with Km and Vmax values of 0.48 mg Cu.L–1 and 713.3 μg Cu.g–1 dw, respectively. Size exclusion chromatography (5 to 150 KDa) associated with ICP-MS showed that most of copper-binding proteins in Gammarus sp. have molecular weights <12 KDa, probably corresponding to metallothioneins.