Short-term metal accumulation and MTLP induction in the digestive glands of Perna virdis exposed to Zn and Cd.

Time-dependent Zn and Cd accumulation and metallothionein like protein (MTLP) induction in the digestive glands of mussels, Perna virdis, were measured under different exposure conditions. The initial uptake rate at start of chase (rho0) and mean residence time (tau) were calculated to determine the physiological response of organisms and their potential detoxification mechanisms. It was found that in digestive glands, Zn had obviously higher rho0 and shorter mean residence time than Cd, indicating that these two metals had different accumulation dynamics even though they were very close in the periodic element table.