Metals in squid, Loligo forbesi, adults, eggs and hatchlings. No evidence for a role for Cu- or Zn-metallothionein.

An adult squid Loligo forbesi had the following metals in its liver/digestive gland: Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Cu, As, Cd, Ba and Pb in the range of 1-110 ppm wet wt. Adult mantle muscle, adult eyes, eggs and hatchlings contained a lesser number of these metals at concentrations above 1 ppm. Chromatographic analysis of non-heat-treated cytosols (in the presence of 5 mM 2-mercaptoethanol) gave no evidence for the presence of copper- or zinc-containing fractions with the molecular weights of mollusc metallothioneins in any of the above tissues. Copper and Zn were bound to either the particulate fraction or to very low molecular weight species.