title: Enzymatic biomarkers as indicators of dietary cadmium in gypsy moth caterpillars.
abstract: Heavy metals damage the structure, chemistry, and function of cells, including enzyme systems inside them. Variation in the profile of biochemical biomarkers in prevalent species should be used for assessing environmental contamination. The present study pays attention to the phosphatases present in the midgut of gypsy moth fourth instar caterpillars, which had been exposed to short- and long-term cadmium intake at 10 and 30 μg Cd/g dry food. Chronic cadmium ingestion significantly inhibited the activity of all examined phosphatases, while only the activity of lysosomal phosphatase was acutely decreased. Total acid phosphatase activity recovered from both long-term cadmium treatments within 3 days. The low index of phenotypic plasticity was connected to high variability of plasticity. Dependence of phosphatase isoforms on genotype and duration of cadmium treatment was determined. We concluded that, with further investigations, profiling of total acid phosphatase activity, as well as the lysosomal fraction can be used as a biomarker for acute sublethal metal toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Department of Insect Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, Despot Stefan Blvd. 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia. minavl@ibiss.bg.ac.rs
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vlahović
authors.forename: Vesna Perić
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Mataruga
authors.forename: Marija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mrdaković
authors.forename: Dragana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Matić
authors.forename: Jelica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lazarević
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nenadović
authors.forename: Larisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ilijin
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000201:enzymology; D009036:Moths / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D002104:Cadmium; D000135:Acid Phosphatase