Effect of mercury on taurine transport by the red blood cells of the marine polychaete, Glycera dibranchiata

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01689407· OSTI ID:5378235

Chen, C W; Preston, R L

The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of heavy metal exposure on the transport of the amino acid, /sup 14/C-taurine, by the hemoglobin containing coelomocytes (red blood cells) of the marine polychaete, Glycera dibranchiata. Glycera has been used previously in studies on heavy metal absorption. Glycera red cells (RBCs) were used for this study because they contain a high concentration of taurine (190 mM) which has been implicated as a major osmolyte in cellular volume regulation in marine invertebrates. Taurine also appears to participate in osmoregulation of mammalian heart and brain tissue. The coelomic fluid bathing Glycera RBCs typically contains taurine at considerably lower concentrations (0.2 mM). The standing gradients (intracellular conc./extracellular conc.) for amino acids ranges from 40:1 for lysine to 950:1 for taurine. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that the maintenance of the large standing gradient for taurine was apparently due to the presence of a specific Na and Cl dependent taurine transport system in these cells. The fact that Glycera RBCs actively maintain large taurine gradients suggests that this tissue should be an excellent one to use in analysis of the mechanisms of heavy metal interaction with taurine transport systems.

• Research Organization: Illinois State Univ., Normal (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5378235
• Journal Information: Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 39:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS
MEMBRANE TRANSPORT
MERCURY CHLORIDES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
TAURINE
ANNELIDS
ERYTHROCYTES
SCINTILLATION COUNTING
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
AMINES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MERCURY COMPOUNDS
MERCURY HALIDES
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFONIC ACIDS
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
550201 - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques