VARIATION OF METALLOTHIONEIN AND METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN THE DIGESTIVE GLAND OF THE CLAM RUDITAPES DECUSSATUS: SEX AND SEASONAL EFFECTS

摘要

Metallothionein(MT)and metal(Cd, Cu, and Zn)concentrations were determined in the digestive gland of male and female Ruchtapes decussatus. Clams were collected monthly during the period of sexual development, from June to September, at two different sites of a coastal lagoon, the Ria Formosa Lagoon, on the south coast of Portugal. The MT concentrations were determined in the heat-treated cytosolic fraction of the digestive gland of both male and female clams. Total metal(Cd, Cu, and Zn)concentrations in the heat-treated cytosol of the digestive gland were also determined in both sexes.