Involvement of metallothionein in female squirrelfish reproduction

摘要: The squirrelfish family (Holocentridae)presents a unique system for studying the involvement of metallothionein in zinc metabolism and reproductive physiology. Since zinc is an essential micronutrient, virtually all organisms need only maintain minimal amounts of zinc for normal cellular function. The squirrelfish (Holcentrus rufus) has been found to be an exception to this rule. While zinc concentrations in the liver of most vertebrates fall in the range of 15-40 μg/g wet mass [1,2], zinc hepatic concentrations of squirrelfish have been measured up to an average of 1,778 μg/g (Tab. 1). In the same fish, hepatic metallothionein levels were found to be 16,900 μg/g wet mass. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Holocentrus rufus but, in fact, is observed in all studied species of the Holocentridae family (Tab. 1). However, there is high variability between species and individuals within the same species and …