Effects of tributyltin and other metals on the phenoloxidase activating system of the tunicate, Styela plicata.

Toxic metals, such as tributyltin (TBT), contribute substantially to anthropogenic pollution in many estuarine environments. Animals that live in those environments, particularly invertebrate filter feeders like tunicates, are likely to be exposed to substantial metal contamination. This study investigates the effects of TBT and other metals on the phenoloxidase activity of the estuarine tunicate, Styela plicata, in an effort to identify a biochemical marker of metal pollution. Hemocytes harvested from S. plicata that were exposed to tributyltin or copper in aquaria had significantly enhanced phenoloxidase activities relative to non-exposed controls. This enhanced phenoloxidase activity could be explained by an increased frequency of morula cells, which contain high levels of phenoloxidase's proenzyme, prophenoloxidase. Unlike those from tunicates exposed to metals in aquaria, the phenoloxidase activities of hemocytes incubated with tributyltin in vitro were significantly reduced when compared with hemocytes cultured without tributyltin. The ability of tributyltin to decrease phenoloxidase activity in tissue culture may reflect its known inhibitory effects on calcium-dependent signaling systems such as those involved in the exocytosis of prophenoloxidase from morula cells.