Metallothionein quantification in fishes gills exposed to Cu, Cd, Pb and Fe

• Grant number: 12/16078-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Márcia Cristina Bisinoti
• Grantee: Nayrê Ohana de Souza Thiago
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Metallothioneins are low molecular weight proteins rich in cysteine residues in their structure, called thiol groups, which give it the property of complexing metals and, therefore, a regulatory protein of metals in organisms. The induction of metallothioneins can be studied with regard to its use as a biomarker of environmental contamination. The aquatic humic substances (AHS) have a high capacity for complexing metals, in this context, some authors have shown that in the presence of the same there is a reduction in the bioavailability of metals. In the present work will be performed several experiments exposing tilapia known concentrations of metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Fe)different concentrations of HS extracted from water samples collected in Dam Municipal Sao Jose do Rio Preto. Another objective is to repeat the experiment with water samples Dam. Will be made to quantify metallothioneins in gills of fish using the Technical High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detector (HPLC-FD). The quantification of the stock of metallothionein in fish gills allows verification use of these proteins as biomarkers of exposure to these metals. The results of this study allow for the comparison results in the liver of these animals obtained by another student's research group. (AU)