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Journal of Experimental Biology 131,159-174 (1987)
Published by Company of Biologists 1987

Ionic Permeabilities of the Isolated Gill Cuticle of the Shore Crab Carcinus Maenas

J. M. LIGNON ¹

¹ The Marine Biological Station in Roscoff, Place Georges Teissier, 29211 Roscoff, France

Electrical parameters of the cuticle of the posterior gill lamella of the shore crab Carcinus maenas, were measured. When the cuticle was perfused with crab saline (CS) inside and sea water (SW) outside, ionic replacements or dilutions of the bathing solutions produced changes in potential that showed a selective permeability to cations with respect to anions. Similar measurements made with the cuticle bathed in single salt solutions gave the following permeability sequence: NH₄⁺> Rb⁺> Cs⁺> K⁺> Na⁺Ca²⁺ > Li⁺> Tris⁺> Mg²⁺ HCO₃^-> CH₃COO^-> Cl^-> SO₄^2-.

From conductance measurements, the permeability of the cuticle to Ca²⁺ and Na⁺ was about 10^-3cms^-1. K⁺ and NH₄ ⁺ were about five times more permeant, while Mg²⁺permeability was 5x10^-5 cms^-1. The permeability of the cuticle to anions lay between 10^-6 and 10^-5 cms^-1. In addition, the cuticle showed an asymmetrical behaviour. These results suggest that the low anionic cuticular permeability can interfere with ionic exchanges across the whole gill.

Note:

Present address: Laboratoire d'Etude des Régulations Physiologiques, associé à l'Université Louis Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France.

Key words: sodium, ionic permeabilities, gill, cuticle, crab

Accepted on April 7, 1987

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