This study was conducted to investigate the influence of dietary zinc on intestinal apoB mRNA editing in hamsters. Apolipoprotein B-48 (apoB-48) is synthesized from the same gene as apoB-100 by a post-transcriptional, site-specific cytidine deamination, a process known as apoB mRNA editing. A cDNA encoding the hamster apoB mRNA editing enzyme was obtained by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the deduced amino acid sequence was found to possess high amino acid sequence identity to apoB mRNA editing enzymes from several other species. Editing activity was detected in the small intestine and colon but, like humans, none was detected in the liver. Analysis by RT-PCR indicated that the small intestine possessed the highest expression of editing enzyme mRNA abundance, whereas both liver and small intestine expressed relatively high levels of apoB mRNA. The influence of dietary zinc on intestinal apoB mRNA editing levels was examined in Golden Syrian hamsters (7 wk old) assigned to one of the following three dietary treatments: Zn-adequate (ZA, 30 mg Zn/kg diet), Zn-deficient (ZD, <0. 5 mg Zn/kg diet), or Zn-replenished (ZDA, ZD hamsters receiving ZA diet for last 2 d) for 7 wk. Hamsters consuming the ZD diet had modestly but significantly lower intestinal editing activity than ZA hamsters. Intestinal editing activity in the ZDA group was not different from that of ZA hamsters. Data derived from these studies contribute to the understanding of lipoprotein metabolism in hamsters, a suitable model for the study of atherosclerosis.