Shifts in protein metabolism in some organs of freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio under mercury stress

Changes in the protein metabolism of gill, kidney and intestine of freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio exposed to 1, 15 and 30 days to sublethal concentration (0.1 mg/l) of mercury were studied. The total, soluble and structural protein contents recorded the depletion followed by progressive increase in accumulation of free aminoacids. Concurrently, the activity of protease in the tissues was also increased. A steady enhancement in the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase paralleled the elevation of glutamate dehydrogenase activity in the organs studied. Levels of ammonia and urea have also reported elevation. All these changes clearly documented the induction of severe proteolysis. The magnitude of these changes increased overtime. These changes were more in the gill at the initial periods of exposure (1 and 15 days), but as the period of exposure increased, these changes were more pronounced in the kidney at 30 days of exposure to sublethal concentration of mercury.