Valve gape behaviour of mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to dispersed crude oil as an environmental monitoring endpoint.

Environmental monitoring requires cost-effective and efficient methods for detecting potential effects of pollution, and valve gape behaviour has been used with this purpose for a range of contaminants in freshwater and marine bivalves. The current study investigated the use of a new method for measuring valve behaviour responses in mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to dispersed crude oil (DCO). Results confirmed that valve gape is a sensitive parameter; at the high DCO concentration (0.

Effect of dispersed crude oil on the feeding activity, retention efficiency, and filtration rate of differently sized blue mussels (Mytilus edulis).

The use of physiological response endpoints in environmental monitoring represents an opportunity to provide an integrated picture of health status and ecological fitness of individuals, and may provide an indication of potential longer term effects on aquatic organisms in the environment. The feeding behavior response sensitivity of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) of differing size to dispersed crude oil (DCO) was investigated in a lab exposure experiment. The ability of mussels to recover following a single exposure was also investigated, as well as the response to consecutive exposures, in order to assess the utility of employing the same individuals in chronic environmental monitoring.

SELDI-TOF MS analysis of alkylphenol exposed Atlantic cod with phenotypic variation in gonadosomatic index.

Proteomics is a new and promising approach to evaluate potential effects of pollution. In order to investigate if there is a direct link between the protein expression profiles obtained by the SELDI-TOF MS technology and effects observed at the organism level in fish, plasma samples from unexposed and 20 ppb alkylphenol exposed female Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) with high phenotypic variation in gonadosomatic index (GSI) were analyzed by SELDI-TOF MS. Principle component analysis (PCA) showed that the major proteomic variation present in the dataset (i.

An estrogen-responsive plasma protein expression signature in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) revealed by SELDI-TOF MS.

Compound-specific protein expression signatures (PESs) can be revealed by proteomic techniques. The SELDI-TOF MS approach is advantageous due to its simplicity and high-throughput capacity, however, there are concerns regarding the reproducibility of this method. The aim of this study was to define an estrogen-responsive PES in plasma of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) using the SELDI-TOF MS technique.

From SELDI-TOF MS to protein identification by on-chip elution.

SELDI-TOF MS has been demonstrated as a powerful tool for biomarker discovery. However, a major disadvantage of SELDI-TOF MS is the lack of direct identification of the discriminatory peaks discovered. We describe a novel experimental identification strategy where peptides/proteins captured to a weak cation exchange ProteinArray surface (CM10) are eluted, and thereafter identified by utilizing a sensitive LC-MS/MS (i.

Data processing and classification analysis of proteomic changes: a case study of oil pollution in the mussel, Mytilus edulis.

Background: Proteomics may help to detect subtle pollution-related changes, such as responses to mixture pollution at low concentrations, where clear signs of toxicity are absent. The challenges associated with the analysis of large-scale multivariate proteomic datasets have been widely discussed in medical research and biomarker discovery. This concept has been introduced to ecotoxicology only recently, so data processing and classification analysis need to be refined before they can be readily applied in biomarker discovery and monitoring studies.

Mass spectrometric profiling - a diagnostic tool in fish?

The development of rapid and sensitive diagnostic tools to assess the effect of stressors on organisms is a principal objective of environmental proteomics. This study is focused on evaluating the potential of using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) to assess stress in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Plasma and mucus samples were taken from fish that had previously been maintained in a range of high density conditions, together with control fish maintained under low density conditions.

The BEEP Stavanger Workshop: Mesocosm exposures.

Within the BEEP project (Biological Effects of Environmental Pollution in Marine Ecosystems) the Work Package 1 was addressed to the development of new and more sensitive biomarkers of exposure in several sentinel organisms. Within this framework, common mesocosm exposures of organic pollutants relevant for marine ecosystems were conducted in the facilities of Akvamiljø a/s (Stavanger, Norway). In the first experiment, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and shore crab (Carcinus maenas) were exposed to nonylphenol, North Sea crude oil and a combination of crude oil and alkylated phenols.

Comparison of protein expression in plasma from nonylphenol and bisphenol A-exposed Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) by use of SELDI-TOF.

The overall objective of this study was to compare the expression of plasma proteins in juvenile cod and turbot after a 3 week exposure to two different chemicals known to be estrogenic: 4-nonylphenol (NP, 29 microg/L) and bisphenol A (BPA, 59 microg/L). ProteinChip) array technology in combination with surfaced enhanced laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (SELDI-TOF) was used to investigate general responses in plasma proteins. In addition, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to analyse two specific biomarkers of estrogenic exposure, vitellogenin (Vtg) and zona radiata protein (Zrp) in plasma.

Investigation of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities in peripheral blood and kidney of marine fish treated with crude oil.

The induction of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities (nuclear buds, bi-nucleated and fragmented-apoptotic cells) was analyzed in the erythrocytes of peripheral blood and cephalic kidney of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morua), treated with crude oil (Statfjord B, Norway) and with nonylphenol. Significant increase in MN was observed in turbot kidney and blood after exposure to 30 ppb of nonylphenol, 0.5 ppm of oil, and after co-exposure to 0.

Proteome modifications of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis L.) gills as an effect of water pollution.

The discharge of chemicals such as oil associated or not with derived products constitutes a real threat for the environment. We report here the differential expression of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) gill proteins corresponding to two contaminated environmental conditions: crude oil and offshore produced water. In order to evaluate and understand contaminants, effects and adaptive response of these organisms, we identified proteins using MS.

Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry approach to biomarker discovery in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to polyaromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals under field conditions.

Proteomics provide potential in the discovery of new sensitive biomarkers for environmental pollution. To evaluate this potential, we have utilized ProteinChip technology to analyze the proteomic profile of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from polluted marine habitats surrounding the island of Karmøy, Norway. Two different types of contamination, heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were compared to a clean reference site.

Analysis of micronuclei in blue mussels and fish from the Baltic and North Seas.

Micronuclei (MN) were analyzed in erythrocytes of flounder (Platichthys flesus) and wrasse (Symphodus melops) and in gill cells of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). The organisms were collected from three study stations in the Baltic Sea and from seven stations in the North Sea (Karmsund area, Norway) 4 times. The statistically significant differences obtained were related to the season, sex of the fish, and sampling locality.

Rapid assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure in decapod crustaceans by fluorimetric analysis of urine and haemolymph.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous and potentially harmful contaminants of the coastal and marine environment. Studies of their bioavailability, disposition and metabolism in marine organisms are therefore important for environmental monitoring purposes. Detecting PAH compounds in the biological fluids of marine organisms provides a measure of their environmental exposure to PAHs.