title: Subcellular partitioning of non-essential trace metals (Ag, As, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Tl) in livers of American (Anguilla rostrata) and European (Anguilla anguilla) yellow eels.
abstract: We determined the intracellular compartmentalization of the trace metals Ag, As, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Tl in the livers of yellow eels collected from the Saint Lawrence River system in Canada (Anguilla rostrata) and in the area of the Gironde estuary in France (Anguilla anguilla). Differential centrifugation, NaOH digestion and thermal shock were used to separate eel livers into putative "sensitive" fractions (heat-denatured proteins, mitochondria and microsomes+lysosomes) and detoxified metal fractions (heat-stable peptides/proteins and granules). The cytosolic heat-stable fraction (HSP) was consistently involved in the detoxification of all trace metals. In addition, granule-like structures played a complementary role in the detoxification of Ni, Pb, and Tl in both eel species. However, these detoxification mechanisms were not completely effective because increasing trace metal concentrations in whole livers were accompanied by significant increases in the concentrations of most trace metals in "sensitive" subcellular fractions, that is, mitochondria, heat-denatured cytosolic proteins and microsomes+lysosomes. Among these "sensitive" fractions, mitochondria were the major binding sites for As, Cd, Pb, and Tl. This accumulation of non-essential metals in "sensitive" fractions likely represents a health risk for eels inhabiting the Saint Lawrence and Gironde environments.
authors: Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Eau Terre et Environnement (INRS-ETE), 490 de la Couronne, Québec (Québec) G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors: Maikel
authors: M
authors: Rosabal
authors: Université de Bordeaux, UMR EPOC CNRS 5805, F-33400 Talence, France; CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33400 Talence, France.
authors: Fabien
authors: F
authors: Pierron
authors: Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Eau Terre et Environnement (INRS-ETE), 490 de la Couronne, Québec (Québec) G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors: Patrice
authors: P
authors: Couture
authors: Université de Bordeaux, UMR EPOC CNRS 5805, F-33400 Talence, France; CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33400 Talence, France.
authors: Magalie
authors: M
authors: Baudrimont
authors: Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Eau Terre et Environnement (INRS-ETE), 490 de la Couronne, Québec (Québec) G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors: Landis
authors: L
authors: Hare
authors: Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre Eau Terre et Environnement (INRS-ETE), 490 de la Couronne, Québec (Québec) G1K 9A9, Canada. Electronic address: peter.campbell@ete.inrs.ca.
authors: Peter G C
authors: PG
authors: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000811:Anguilla / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D003600:Cytosol / Q000737:chemistry; D004524:Eels / Q000378:metabolism*; D063366:Estuaries; D005602:France; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D045483:Rivers; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Anguilla; Detoxification; Eels; Metal toxicity; Subcellular partitioning