Distinct glutathione-dependent enzyme activities and a verapamil-sensitive binding of xenobiotics in a fresh-water mussel Anodonta cygnea

A fresh-water mussel Anodonta cygnea, an aquatic invertebrate resistant to pollution, possesses an inherent high potential to bind 2-acetylaminofluorene onto membrane vesicles. This binding is saturable and trypsin- and verapamil-sensitive. Simultaneously, this mussel reveals a relatively high inherent activity of glutathione-dependent enzyme activities with a distinct spectrum of substrate affinities. Both these activities are similar to the elements of the molecular mechanism involved in the acquired multi-drug resistance phenomenon described in tumor cell-lines. The recognition that in organisms exposed to polluted waters a multi-xenobiotic resistance mechanism may be involved is essential for understanding both the biological impact of pollution and the development of methods for rational risk assessment in regulatory policy.