Determinación del GEN de la metalotioneína (MT) en dos especies de bivalvos.

Abstract

Due to the high levels of pollution in Ecuador, an increasing number of sites are contaminated with heavy metals and organic matter, resulting in an absence of flora and fauna in these areas. Consequently, this study will examine two bivalve species known to inhabit such contaminated zones. These organisms tolerate this type of pollution thanks to the expression of the metallothionein gene; this gene functions to detoxify metals or metal ions, and its high cysteine ​​content allows these metals to bind to the protein. The metallothionein gene will be identified in *Mytella guyanensis* and *Crassostrea columbiensis* through primer evaluation, a comparison of two DNA extraction methods (phenol-chloroform and heat-based extraction), and subsequent amplification. This information will facilitate future measurements of gene expression, enabling the use of these two species as bioindicators for heavy metal pollution.