Induction and characterization of hepatic metallothionein in the channel catfish following exposure to cadmium

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:40079

Schlenk, D; Zhang, Y S ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR (United States)

The channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is a commercially important fish found throughout the United States. Thus, understanding how this organism responds to environmental contaminants is of critical concern. The stress protein, metallothionein allows organisms to cope with excessive exposures of heavy metals, such as cadmium. Following a 5 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride, two metal binding proteins of approximately 8 kilodaltons and two MRNA bands of approximately 400 base pairs were induced in liver homogenates of juvenile channel catfish. Spectrophotometric examination of the purified proteins indicated that each protein was an isoform of metallothionein. Static aqueous exposures of 7 day duration to varied doses of cadmium chloride increased expression of metallothionein mRNA in a dose dependent manner. Significant (p {<=} 0.5) expression of MRNA was observed following exposures to cadmium chloride of 50/{mu}g/L or higher, but expression was unaltered by exposure to 10 {mu}g/L. Future studies will examine the time course of hepatic metallothionein expression in channel catfish following cadmium chloride exposure.

• OSTI ID: 40079
• Report Number(s): CONF-9410273--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIOSYNTHESIS
CADMIUM
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
FISHES
LIVER
METALLOTHIONEIN
SENSITIVITY
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION