Baseline levels of Hsp 70, a stress protein and biomarker, in halibut from the Cook Inlet region of Alaska

The levels of Hsp 70, a heat shock protein, was quantitatively determined in Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, from the Cook Inlet region in south central Alaska. A dot blot analysis using a monoclonal antibody for Hsp 70 was combined with a standard protein analysis to determine Hsp 70 levels in 26 samples from gills. The average Hsp 70 concentration was 4.6 μg/mg, with levels ranging from 2.2 to 14.5 μg/mg total protein. Mercury in gill tissue also was measured and, in the 26 samples, only three samples had concentrations of mercury (X̄=0.10 mg/kg, range=0.09–0.11) above the minimum detection level.