The impact of fish spawning on metal and protein levels in gastrointestinal cytosol of indigenous European chub

Filipović Marijić, Vlatka; Raspor, Biserka (2010) The impact of fish spawning on metal and protein levels in gastrointestinal cytosol of indigenous European chub. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part C: Toxicology and Pharmacology, 152 . pp. 133-138. ISSN 1532-0456

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Abstract

Presented study reports for the first time cytosolic metal and protein levels in the gastrointestinal tissue of field-collected European chub, living in low metal-contaminated river section. In two sub-cellular fractions (untreated cytosol and heat-treated cytosol), isolated from the whole gastrointestinal tract of indigenous chubs collected during spawning (April/May 2006) and post-spawning period (September 2006), seasonal or gender related differences of trace metals and proteins were determined. In both fractions, cytosol and heat-treated cytosol, metal levels decrease as follows: Zn>Fe>Cu>Mn>Cd and are significantly higher during the spawning period. Beside that, the level of heat-sensitive proteins (metalloenzymes) in cytosolic fractions is also significantly higher during the spawning period in both male and female specimens. Higher condition indices of chubs in the spawning period imply higher feeding activity, energy reserves and recent growth of indigenous chubs. Metallothionein levels, determined in the heat-treated cytosol, are comparable in gastrointestinal tract of feral chubs collected in both seasons and confine the background metallothionein levels, on average 3 mg g-1 wet tissue. Chub spawning has been identified as a confounding factor, having an impact on cytosolic metal and protein levels, presumably due to enhanced food supply (higher condition indices) and fish spawning (higher gonadosomatic indices in some male specimens).

Item Type:

Article

Additional Information:

We acknowledge the financial support by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport of Republic Croatia (project no. 098-0982934-2721). The authors are grateful for the assistance and cooperation in field collections to all SARIB Project participants. Special thanks to the members of the Laboratory for Aquaculture and Pathology of Aquatic Organisms for gender determination of chub individuals and to Dr. Zrinka Dragun for advices concerning metal determination in cytosolic fractions by AAS.

Uncontrolled Keywords:

cadmium, essential metals; freshwater fish; metallothioneins; post-spawning; spawning period; total cytosolic proteins; trace metal partitioning

Subjects:

NATURAL SCIENCES > Mathematics

Divisions:

Division for Marine and Enviromental Research

Projects: