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GLUTATHIONE AND METALLOTHIONEIN STATUS IN AN ACUTE RESPONSE BY MERCENARIA MERCENARIA BROWN CELLS TO COPPER IN VIVO
Citation:
Zaroogian, G AND C Norwood. GLUTATHIONE AND METALLOTHIONEIN STATUS IN AN ACUTE RESPONSE BY MERCENARIA MERCENARIA BROWN CELLS TO COPPER IN VIVO. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 53:285-292, (2002).
Description:
Red glands of Mercenaria mercenaria comprise brown cells that accumulate, detoxify, and excrete copper. Brown cell involvement in metal detoxification is due in part to endogenous glutathione (GSH) and metallothionein (MT).The intent of this study was to test the hypotheses that brown cell GSH functions in protection against Cu2+ toxicity, that brown cell GSH provides initial defense against Cu2+ prior to brown cell MT introduction, and the MT variants (MTI, MTII), if present are unequal in response to Cu2+. Brown cells were analyzed for GSH and MT after 0.25, 1, 2, 3, and 4 days of treatment of Mercenaria with 0.01 and 0.05 ppm Cu2+. Glutathione initiated the brown cell acute response (within the first day of treatment) to both the 0.01 and 0.05 ppm Cu2+ treatments. Metallothionein in brown cells increased to Day 4 during treatment with 0.01 ppm Cu2+, whereas MT concentration was greatest at Day 2 after which it decreased to Day 4 with treatment of 0.05 ppm Cu2+. The change in MTII relative to its control was greater than that of MTI in the brown cell acute response to 0.01ppm Cu2+ and also for Days 0.25 to 2 in response to the 0.05 ppm Cu2+ treatment. At Days 3 and 4 with the 0.05 ppm Cu2+ the change in MTI/MTII ratio was due to a greater change in MTI than MTII relative to their respective controls. The variants of brown cell MT appear to respond differently to Cu2+ depending on the Cu2+ treatment concentration.