The crustacean gill is a multi-functional organ, and it is the site of a number of physiological processes, including ion transport, which is the basis for hemolymph osmoregulation; acid-base balance; and ammonia excretion. The gill is also the site by which many toxic metals are taken up by aquatic crustaceans, and thus it plays an important role in the toxicology of these species. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the ecology, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the mechanisms of osmotic and ionic regulation performed by the gill. The current concepts of the mechanisms of ion transport, the structural, biochemical, and molecular bases of systemic physiology, and the history of their development are discussed. The relationship between branchial ion transport and hemolymph acid-base regulation is also treated. In addition, the mechanisms of ammonia transport and excretion across the gill are discussed. And finally, the toxicology of heavy metal accumulation via the gill is reviewed in detail.

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Na+-K+-ATPase and Na+/Ca2+exchange activities were studied in gills of Carcinus maenas in seawater (SW) and after transfer to dilute seawater (DSW). Carcinushyperregulates its hemolymph osmolarity through active uptake of Na+, Cl−, and Ca2+. In DSW total Na+-K+-ATPase activity in posterior gills quadrupled; Na+/Ca2+ exchange specific activity was unaffected, and total activity increased 1.67-fold. Short-circuit current ( I sc) in voltage-clamped posterior gill hemilamellae was −181 μA/cm2 in SW and −290 μA/cm2 in DSW and up to 90% ouabain sensitive; conductivity was similar in SW or DSW (42 and 46 mS/cm2, respectively) and representative of a leaky epithelium. The new steady state of hemolymph osmolarity 24 h after DSW transfer was preceded, already 3 h after transfer, by increased Na+-K+-ATPase but not Na+/Ca2+exchange activity. Western blot analysis indicated that the amount of Na+-K+-ATPase protein had increased 2.1-fold in crabs acclimated 3 wk to DSW; however, 4 h after DSW transfer no difference in the amount of Na+-K+-ATPase protein was observed. After DSW transfer branchial cAMP content decreased. A negative correlation between branchial Na+-K+-ATPase activity and cAMP content points to rapid regulation of Na+-K+-ATPase through cAMP-dependent protein kinase A activity. Ca2+ transport may depend on the high-capacity Na+/Ca2+exchanger coupled to the versatile sodium pump.

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