Glutathione S-Transferase
as a
Biological Marker
of
Aquatic Contamination

Research Thesis in Applied Toxicology
Tomas James Rees, Portsmouth University, UK
In collaboration with the Water Research Centre, Henley

© August 1993

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
Degree of Master of Science

Please feel free to email me if you found this thesis useful, or if you have any questions about it.

1. Abstract

The utility of a spectrophotometric Glutathione S-transferase (GST) assay as an indicator of aquatic contamination has been investigated in a series of laboratory studies. Factors investigated include assessment at alternative wavelengths and with alternative substrates. A study was also carried out to investigate the response of GST to a fungicide, chlorothalonil. This study found that, whilst mussels are less sensitive than fish to the toxic effects of chlorothalonil, there is a marked induction of GST. Proposals are made for future work to parameterise the GST response to enable its use as tool for ecological monitoring. This report also includes a literature review which places the laboratory work conducted within the context of other work on biochemical biomarkers.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people for their help, support and encouragement throughout the course of this project:

At the Water Research Centre,

    Dr. Ian Johnson
    Dr. Mark Crane
    Kate Horn
    Robin Wyatt

At the University of Portsmouth,

    Dr. Chris Gibbons
    Dr. Richard Greenwood

Materials for this project were provided by the Water Research centre. The materials budget was approximately £500.

Contents

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Biological markers of aquatic contamination

3. INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICAL WORK

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