Partitioning of PCBs into phytoplankton lipids
- Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Phytoplankton play a significant role in the bioaccumulation of PCBs in the aquatic food chain. Despite their important role in the overall bioaccumulation process, the exact mechanism by which PCBs partition into the algal phase remains unknown. Previous work in this lab suggests that the most hydrophobic PCB congeners (log K{sub ow} > 6) may remain associated only with the outer algal membrane and never reach the interior of the cell whereas the less hydrophobic congeners are able to diffuse into the cell and associate with interior lipids. The authors have adapted the technique of gold labeled electron microscopy for the use of determining where a PCB molecule is in a cell. They are conducting time course experiments with PCBs of different hydrophobicities and different degrees of ortho chlorine substitution to monitor the position of a PCB within an algal cell with time. Preliminary experiments with 2,2{prime},5,5{prime} tetrachlorinated biphenyl have shown that after 6 days the TCB has crossed the membrane and is associated with internal cellular components. This technique uses an antibody specific for a PCB which has a gold marker on it.
- OSTI ID:
- 197536
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Multivariate modeling of PCB bioaccumulation in three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
PCB cycling in marine plankton