PARENT SESSION

2C - Biomarkers
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Tuesday, 29 April 2003
Chair: Hansen, P.D.¹, ¹
Co-chair: Vindimian, E.², ²

(TUP/104) Cd-Metallothioneins synthesis in the hepatopancreas of Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Mao, Andrea¹, Manente, Sabrina¹, Perin, Guido¹, ¹ Environment Science Depart. - Ca' Foscari University, Venice, VE, Italy

ABSTRACT- Metallothioneins (MTs) are cysteine-rich proteins which low molecular weight and high affinity for divalent metal cations . The aim of this work is the evaluation of MTs concentration in Mytilus galloprovincialis. The mussels were exposed in aereated aquarium containing artificial seawater (33‰) at 18°C for 14 days. The aquarium's water comes, by peristaltic pump, from column water on the sediment which was spiked with additional cadmium in concentration of 30 mg Kg^-1 . In order to see the behavior of the release of Cd from sediment to water column and subsequential Cd-MTs syntesis in mussels, three different test in oxygenated, hypoxic and anoxic conditions have been made. During 14-d test 8 mussels per each oxigenation condition and time's exposition (0, 3, 9 and 14 days) was collected. Determination of MTs has been done estimating sulphidrilic groups residue content using Ellman's reagent. The concentration of MTs in the mussel digestive gland revealed an effective Cd-MTs syntesis in the three different test at 14-d: 68.60 g g^-1 (w.w.) in oxigenated condition; 53.93 g g^-1 (w.w.) in hypoxic condition and 57.57 g g^-1 (w.w.) in anoxic condition. Cd-MTs content in the hepatopancreas during all the test demonstred linear correlation only in anoxic condition probably caused by the slowest release of Cd from sediment. The control at different [O₂] shows concentration of MTs lower than spiked.

Key words: Mytilus galloprovincialis, Metallothioneins, cadmium, [O₂]