states of’ valtvlcy tisom 2 to 5 (Sitlgwic~k, 1950) and whilo it appears to
occiir in sea water in ti penti~vi~l1~11t forrn it is agreed by most, recrnt
workers that in thv blood cell and in Henxc’s red haemovanadin the
vanadium exists in :I trivalciit forrn (Lyding, 1953; Boeri and Ehrenburg, 1954 ; Bielig and Btt.ycr, I954 ; Rrzaeva, 1964 ; Koval’skii and
Rezaeva, 1965; Bielig et nl., I!)(i6) but that the blue oxidized haernovanadin is tetmvalent. Thew i~uthors tire also agreed that the haemovanadin acts as
The precine nature of thc c*hemicd compound is still uncertain but
it has bren ostahlished that within the cell it occurs as a dialysable
organic molec*ule loosely linlted to r~ non-dialysable protein (Califano
and Caselli, 1!)49 ; Bielig et al., l!)fi4 ; Bielig ancl Bayer, 1954; Baltscheffsky and Mendia, 1958; Koval’skii and Rezaeva, 1964). Bielig et al.
( 1966) have suggested that the vanadium occurs as an equilibrium
between different sulfato-vanadiurn (111) ions, protein and hydrogendphate ions. A fuller discussion of the chemical composition and
possible interactions is not relevihnt here but the reader is referred
especially to the papers of Biclig et uZ. (1954 and 1966).
2. The uptake of vanndiuni b!j nscidims
We have already seen thiLt the cwncckntr;ition of vanadium in the
blood cells of asridians may be l o 5 or 106 times as great as it is in sea
water so that i t is of prtirular ititcwst to know how the animals
marlage to colleot atid ac.curnii1ut.c t h e rncltal. It is unlikely that it
could be obtained through t h c food supply as this would entail concentration by other organisms such as phytoplankton or accumulation
in detritus arid there is no evidence for this. Goldberg et a,?. (1951),
Baltscheffsky and Baltscheffsky (IO53), Bielig et al. (1961a), Kalk
(1963a,b) and Rummel et nl. (1966) have d l produced evidence to confirm that the primary site of uptake is through the single celled epithelium of the branchial waI1. Rummel rt al. (1966) have summarized
much of the work on the: uptake of labelled vanttdium and show that
this takes place by a process of active absorption across the branchial
wall (see Fig. 21). When animals are exposed to 48vanadium for six
liours the braiichiwl sav yields more than half of the vanadium taken
up, the gut only about lo%, thiis confirming tlhat the metal is obtained
directly from sea water and not from the food. Vanadium absorbed
through the brmchial sac is initially transferred to the blood plasma
and after six hours exposure only so/, of litbelled vatiadium in thc!
blood is foroicl in wlls rind ! j f x , is in tho plssma. How(*v(:r, if thc:
animal is then kcpt, in unlabellcd s w wiLttBr for a further five days, tLhlJllt
95% of the labdled vanadium is now found in hlood wlls (Fig. 22). The1
powerful retlucing agent.
occiir in sea water in ti penti~vi~l1~11t forrn it is agreed by most, recrnt
workers that in thv blood cell and in Henxc’s red haemovanadin the
vanadium exists in :I trivalciit forrn (Lyding, 1953; Boeri and Ehrenburg, 1954 ; Bielig and Btt.ycr, I954 ; Rrzaeva, 1964 ; Koval’skii and
Rezaeva, 1965; Bielig et nl., I!)(i6) but that the blue oxidized haernovanadin is tetmvalent. Thew i~uthors tire also agreed that the haemovanadin acts as
The precine nature of thc c*hemicd compound is still uncertain but
it has bren ostahlished that within the cell it occurs as a dialysable
organic molec*ule loosely linlted to r~ non-dialysable protein (Califano
and Caselli, 1!)49 ; Bielig et al., l!)fi4 ; Bielig ancl Bayer, 1954; Baltscheffsky and Mendia, 1958; Koval’skii and Rezaeva, 1964). Bielig et al.
( 1966) have suggested that the vanadium occurs as an equilibrium
between different sulfato-vanadiurn (111) ions, protein and hydrogendphate ions. A fuller discussion of the chemical composition and
possible interactions is not relevihnt here but the reader is referred
especially to the papers of Biclig et uZ. (1954 and 1966).
2. The uptake of vanndiuni b!j nscidims
We have already seen thiLt the cwncckntr;ition of vanadium in the
blood cells of asridians may be l o 5 or 106 times as great as it is in sea
water so that i t is of prtirular ititcwst to know how the animals
marlage to colleot atid ac.curnii1ut.c t h e rncltal. It is unlikely that it
could be obtained through t h c food supply as this would entail concentration by other organisms such as phytoplankton or accumulation
in detritus arid there is no evidence for this. Goldberg et a,?. (1951),
Baltscheffsky and Baltscheffsky (IO53), Bielig et al. (1961a), Kalk
(1963a,b) and Rummel et nl. (1966) have d l produced evidence to confirm that the primary site of uptake is through the single celled epithelium of the branchial waI1. Rummel rt al. (1966) have summarized
much of the work on the: uptake of labelled vanttdium and show that
this takes place by a process of active absorption across the branchial
wall (see Fig. 21). When animals are exposed to 48vanadium for six
liours the braiichiwl sav yields more than half of the vanadium taken
up, the gut only about lo%, thiis confirming tlhat the metal is obtained
directly from sea water and not from the food. Vanadium absorbed
through the brmchial sac is initially transferred to the blood plasma
and after six hours exposure only so/, of litbelled vatiadium in thc!
blood is foroicl in wlls rind ! j f x , is in tho plssma. How(*v(:r, if thc:
animal is then kcpt, in unlabellcd s w wiLttBr for a further five days, tLhlJllt
95% of the labdled vanadium is now found in hlood wlls (Fig. 22). The1
powerful retlucing agent.