Metal subcellular partitioning determines excretion pathways and sensitivity to cadmium toxicity in two marine fish species

International audienceSubcellular cadmium (Cd) partitioning was investigated in the liver of two marine fish species, the European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax and the Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis, dietary exposed to an environmentally realistic Cd dose for two months followed by a two-month depuration. Cd exposure did not modify Cd cellular partitioning for either species, refuting the spillover hypothesis. Both species contained most of the Cd in the detoxifying fraction but displayed different handling strategies. Cd was largely bound to heat stable proteins (HSP) including metallothioneins (MT) in sea bass while Cd was more linked to metal rich granules (MRG) in sole. Whole liver concentrations and subcellular partitioning were also determined for essential elements. The greatest impairment of essential metal homeostasis due to Cd exposure was found in sole. These elements followed the Cd partitioning pattern, suggesting that they are involved in antioxidant responses against Cd toxicity. Cd consumption diminished sole growth in terms of body weight, probably due to lipid storage impairment. During the depuration period, the two species showed contrasting partitioning patterns, implying different pathways for Cd elimination from the liver. In sea bass, MT-bound Cd would be excreted through bile or released into blood, crossing the cell membrane via a protein transporter. In sole, MRG-bound Cd would be sequestered by organelles before being released into the blood via vesicular exocytosis. These distinct strategies in cellular Cd handling in the liver might account for differential sensitivity to Cd toxicity and differential Cd excretion pathways between the two marine fish species