Biochemical effects of various environmental pollutions on glutathione reductase enzyme in gammarus pulex

In this thesis, the effects of lead, a heavy metal, on glutathione reductase in Gammarus pulex, an aquatic organism, have been investigated and also, glutathione reductase enzyme was studied as a biomarker for aquatic pollution by biochemical and kinetical methods. Km of enzyme according to different NADPH concentrations has been found as 129,03 uM. Besides, the effects of some metal ions (Cu+2, Mg+2, Zn+2) and EDTA on enzyme activity have been studied and decreasing effect of this ions on enzyme activity has been found as Zn+2 > Mg+2 > Cu+2. Glutathione reductase of Gammarus pulex has been purified and their molecular weight has been determined as 54-56 kda. by SDS-PAGE analysing method.Key Words: Glutathione reductase, Gammarus pulex, Lead, Metal Ions, EDTA