COPPER-INDUCED PROTEIN PROFILE VARIATION IN A FRESH-WATER PRAWN, MACROBRACHIUM-LAMARREI-LAMARREI (EDWARDS,H.MILNE)

Present experiments with two different sublethal doses of copper on th e commonly available freshwater prawn Macrobrachium lamarrei lamarrei enable us to understand the behavior of proteins in response to varyin g copper concentrations. The experiments were designed for 15 days cop per accumulation period followed by subsequent 15 days for depuration study. The sublethal concentrations used were 1/10th (0.0065 ppm) and 1/3rd (0.0215 ppm) of the LC50 value. The experimental animal's hepato pancreas, muscle and gill tissue protein fractions were considered as a measure of metabolic changes. Slab gel electrophoretic technique was employed to observe and record the protein profile variations after a ccumulation and depuration periods. The disappearance of existing poly -peptide bands, the appearance of new bands and changes in the intensi ty of protein fractions indicate the influence of copper on the physio logy of the animal and on the energy demands for the detoxification an d elimination of the toxicant.