Small heat shock proteins encompass a widespread but diverse class of proteins, which play key roles in protecting organisms from various stressors. In the present study, the full-length cDNAs of two small heat shock proteins （MgsHSP22 and MgsHSP24.1） were cloned from Mytilus galloprovincialis, which encoded peptides of 181 and 247 amino acids, respectively. Both MgsHSP22 and MgsHSP24.1 were detected in all tissues examined by real-time PCR, with the highest expression being observed in muscle and gonad tissues. The real-time PCR results revealed that Cd significantly inhibited MgsHSP22 expression at 24 h and MgsHSP24.1 at 24 and 48 h under 5 ug/L Cd2＋ exposure. MgsHSP24.1 expression was also significantly inhibited after 50 ug/L Cd2＋ exposure for 48 h. With regard to antioxidant enzymes, increased GPx and CAT activity were detected under Cd2＋ stress （5 and 50 ug/L）, while no significant difference in SOD activity was observed throughout the experiment. Overall, both MgsHsps and antioxidant enzymes revealed their potential as Cd stress biomarkers in M. galloprovincialis.
