ISSN:
1432-1793
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract An investigation of the mechanisms of detoxication of copper and zinc by the oyster Ostrea edulis (L) has been carried out using naturally occurring “green-sick” (contaminated by copper) and unpolluted oysters. Electron microprobe X-ray analysis of tissues in the electron microscope gives direct evidence for the structural compartmentation of copper and zinc in separate, specific, granular amoebocytes. The metals are immobilized in membrane-limited vesicles as different chemical compounds, copper being associated with sulphur and zinc with phosphorus. Chemical analyses of serum and tissues of normal and “green-sick” oysters indicate that (a) Cu and Zn are accumulated independently, (b) the Cu and Zn in the serum, while higher than in the surrounding sea water, are maintained at a 10-fold smaller level than the tissues, (c) toxicity is reduced by active uptake from the serum into granular amoebocytes, where it is further reduced by compartmentation in membrane-limited vesicles. It is calculated that the individual cell types may contain as much as 13,000 ppm Cu and 25,000 ppm Zn.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00390550
