Abstract
Molecular biological procedures open up possibilities for the development of new biomarker assays for use in environmental monitoring studies. Metallothionein (MT) is a useful biomarker for monitoring pollution by heavy metals and since very little information is available on the genes for MT in marine invertebrates, studies have been initiated in order to develop probes for use in biomarker assays for MT in the shore crab (Carcinus maenas). RNA isolated from the gills of shore crabs was used to produce complementary DNA (cDNA) from which two incomplete and two complete MT cDNAs have been isolated and characterised. The first complete cDNA (cDNA-4) encodes for a protein of 58 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 6151 Da; the predicted amino acid sequence of this protein is identical to that determined earlier for MT-Ib isolated from cadmium-exposed crabs. The second complete cDNA (cDNA-3) encodes a protein of 41 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 4484 Da; only the 5 C-terminal residues of this truncated MT differ from those at the corresponding positions of MT-Ib and this may correspond to a 4100 Da MT also reported previously. The implications of these findings and the use of these cDNAs as biomarkers in ecotoxicological studies are discussed.
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