Trace metal-binding proteins in marine molluscs and crustaceans |
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| Authors: | David W Engel Marius Brouwer |
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| Institution: | National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Southeast Fisheries Center, Beaufort Laboratory, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9722, USA;Duke University Marine Laboratory, Marine Biomedical Center, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9722, USA |
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| Abstract: | Some marine invertebrates, such as the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, the blue crab, callinectes sapidus and the American lobster, Homarusamericanus, concentrate trace metals in their tissues. The occurrence of metallothionein, a low molecular weight, sulfur-containing metal-binding protein, has been correlated with elevated levels of trace metals in these organisms. It is our hypothesis that, whilst metallothioneins are involved in the sequestration of elevated levels of trace metals, they primarily function in regulating normal metal metabolism. In this paper we describe recent field and laboratory experiments designed to examine how oysters, blue crabs and lobsters manage accumulated cadmium, copper and zinc. The possible rôles of metallothionein, as well as the tissue distribution of metals, are emphasized. Metallothioneins were found in all animals we examined; concentrations of metallothioneins and the the amount of bound trace metals are related to time of exposure. We have also demonstrated that the laboratory developed metallothionein models for blue crabs and lobsters may be useful in predicting the partitioning of trace metals in animals living in environments polluted with trace metals. |
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