Ocean acidification: synergistic inhibitory effects of protons and heavy metals on Ca uptake by lobster branchiostegite membrane vesicles.

Previous work with isolated outer membrane vesicles of lobster branchiostegite epithelial cells has shown that Ca uptake by these structures is significantly (p < 0.02) reduced by an incremental decrease in saline pH (increased proton concentration) and that this decrease is due to competitive inhibition between carrier-mediated transport of Ca and hydrogen ions. The present paper extends these previous findings and describes the combined effects of pH and cationic heavy metals on branchiostegite uptake of Ca.

Ocean acidification: effects of pH on Ca uptake by lobster branchiostegites.

Gill chambers of the Atlantic lobster, Homarus americanus, possess three structures that are involved with respiration and ion regulation: gill filaments, epipodites, and branchiostegites. This paper describes ion transport mechanisms present in the plasma membranes of branchiostegite epithelial cells and the effects of pH on the uptake of Ca by these processes. Partially purified membrane vesicles (PPMV) of branchiostegite cells were produced by a homogenization/centrifugation method that has previously been used to define ion transport processes in both crab and lobster gill tissues.