The effects of copper, cadmium and zinc on particle filtration and uptake of glycine in the pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas

• Published in: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Comparative Pharmacology
• Main Authors: Lin, Wenyu, Rice, Michael A., Chien, Paul K.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@URI 1992
• Subjects: Crassostrea gigas; Pacific oyster
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/favs_facpubs/304; https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(92)90250-B

1. The filtration rate (volume of water completely cleared of collodial carbon per unit time) by control oysters is 36.60 ml/g hr ± 7.68 (sd). 2. Filtration rates decrease with increasing concentrations of Cd2+ and Zn2+. 3. In 8-16 mg/l Cu2+, filtration rates are significantly higher than the control, but in Cu2+ concentrations above 32 mg/l, filtration rates are lower than controls. 4. Influx of 14C-glycine is characterized by Michaelis-Menten kinetics with Jmax and Kt values of 1.85 ± 0.097 μmol/g hr and 33.7 ± 4.6 μM respectively. 5. The uptake rate of glycine from 1 μM solution is 37.79 μmol/g hr. 6. In order of degree of inhibition of glycine uptake, Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Zn2+. 7. In 128 mg/l Cu2+, glycine uptake rate is reduced to 3.96 nmol/g hr or 10.5% of control. 8. The rate of glycine uptake by filter feeding bivalves is dependent on rate of water pumping rate. 9. The volume specific glycine transport (amount of glycine transported/unit volume of seawater completely cleared of colloidal carbon) by control oysters in 1 μM glycine concentrations is 1.03 μmol/l. 10. The volume specific glycine transport remains constant in increasing Zn2+ concentrations, and declines in increasing Cu2+ concentrations, suggesting differential effects of the metals on particle filtration and the epithelial amino acid carriers. 11. The apparent volume specific glycine transport increases to 2.14 μmol/l in 128 mg/l Cd2+. This volume specific transport greater than the glycine concentration in the medium suggests that there may be uptake of cadmium complexed glycine by the oysters. © 1992.