Metal concentrations, sperm motility, and RNA/DNA ratio in two echinoderm species from a highly contaminated fjord (the Sorfjord, Norway)
Catarino, A.I.; Cabral, H.; Peeters, K.; Pernet, P.; Punjabi, U.; Dubois, P. (2008). Metal concentrations, sperm motility, and RNA/DNA ratio in two echinoderm species from a highly contaminated fjord (the Sorfjord, Norway). Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 27(7): 1553-1560. https://dx.doi.org/10.1897/07-402.1
In: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Setac Press: New York. ISSN 0730-7268; e-ISSN 1552-8618
The present study evaluated the effects of field metal contamination on sperm motility and the RNA/DNA ratio in echinoderms. Populations of Asterias rubens and Echinus acutus that occur naturally along a contamination gradient of sediments by cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in a Norwegian fjord (the Sørfjord) were studied. Sperm motility, a measure of sperm quality, was quantified using a computer-assisted sperm analysis system. The RNA/DNA ratio, a measure of protein synthesis, was assessed by a one-dye (ethidium bromide)/one-enzyme (RNase), 96-well microplate fluorometric assay. Although both species accumulate metals at high concentrations, neither sperm motility parameters in A. rubens nor the RNA/DNA ratio in both species were affected. The Sørfjord is still one of the most metal-contaminated marine sites in Europe, but even so, populations of A. rubens and E. acutus are able to endure under these conditions.
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