ABSTRACT: Transcriptional impact of organophosphate pesticides chlorpyrifos and malathion and their mixture on the juvenile coho salmon olfactory system.
Project description:Exposure to environmental concentrations of organophosphate pesticides in Pacific salmon can cause neurobehavioral injuries leading to loss of survival. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying olfactory impairment remain poorly understood. In the current study, we exposed juvenile salmon to three environmentally-relevant doses of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and malathion (MAL) individually and to three concentrations of binary mixtures of both compounds. Brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was significantly reduced only in the highest dosage of binary mixture group (47% inhibition). Microarray analysis on RNA from coho olfactory rosettes revealed a number of differentially expressed genes in all exposure groups. Overall, there were little overlapping of affected canonical pathways between CPF groups and MAL groups, suggesting the different biofunctions targeted by these two OP pesticides. Several metabolic and signaling pathways also represented the significant toxicological impact of OP pesticides on olfactory system, such as Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Signaling, Xenobiotic Metabolism Signaling, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Pro-Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress.
Project description:Differential Gene Expression in Liver, Gill and Olfactory Tissues of Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) after Acclimation to Salinity.
Project description:Most Pacific salmonids undergo smoltification and transition from freshwater to saltwater. Saltwater acclimation requires salmonids to make various adjustments in color, shape, size, metabolism, catabolism, and osmotic and ion regulation. The molecular mechanisms underlying this transition are largely unknown. The present study acclimated coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to four different salinities (<0.5, 8, 16, and 32 ppth) and assessed gene expression through microarray analysis of gill, liver and olfactory tissues. Gills are involved in osmotic regulation, liver plays a role in energetics, and olfactory tissues are involved in behavior. Between all salinity treatments, liver had the highest number of differentially expressed genes at 1,616. Gills had 1,074 differentially expressed genes and olfactory tissue had 924. The difference in the number of differentially expressed genes may be due to the higher responsiveness of liver to metabolic changes after salinity acclimation to provide energy to fuel other metabolic and osmoregulatory tissues like gills. Differentially expressed genes were tissue and salinity treatment dependent. There were no genes differentially expressed in all salinity treatments and all three tissues. Five genes were targeted for microarray confirmation by qPCR and included CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ? (CEBPB), calpain 1 (CAPN1), proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (Pim1), aldolase B, fructose-bisphosphate (aldob), and complement component 3 (c3). qPCR expression profiles of these genes matched array outputs. Gene ontology term analysis revealed biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components that were significant. Most terms were tissue dependent. For liver, oxygen binding and transport terms were highlighted, suggesting possible impacts on metabolism. For gills, muscle and cytoskeleton related terms were emphasized and for olfactory tissues, immune response related genes were accentuated. Interaction networks were examined in combination with GO terms and determined similarities between tissues for potential osmosenors and signal transduction cascades. Overall this study suggests that Pacific salmonids share many salinity acclimation molecular mechanisms with other species, with a few new genes identified, and that although the three tissues shared certain underlying mechanism, many of the differentially expressed genes were tissue-specific. To assess how salinity acclimation in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) impacted gene expression in gills, liver, and olfactory tissues.
Project description:Most Pacific salmonids undergo smoltification and transition from freshwater to saltwater. Saltwater acclimation requires salmonids to make various adjustments in color, shape, size, metabolism, catabolism, and osmotic and ion regulation. The molecular mechanisms underlying this transition are largely unknown. The present study acclimated coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) to four different salinities (<0.5, 8, 16, and 32 ppth) and assessed gene expression through microarray analysis of gill, liver and olfactory tissues. Gills are involved in osmotic regulation, liver plays a role in energetics, and olfactory tissues are involved in behavior. Between all salinity treatments, liver had the highest number of differentially expressed genes at 1,616. Gills had 1,074 differentially expressed genes and olfactory tissue had 924. The difference in the number of differentially expressed genes may be due to the higher responsiveness of liver to metabolic changes after salinity acclimation to provide energy to fuel other metabolic and osmoregulatory tissues like gills. Differentially expressed genes were tissue and salinity treatment dependent. There were no genes differentially expressed in all salinity treatments and all three tissues. Five genes were targeted for microarray confirmation by qPCR and included CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ? (CEBPB), calpain 1 (CAPN1), proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (Pim1), aldolase B, fructose-bisphosphate (aldob), and complement component 3 (c3). qPCR expression profiles of these genes matched array outputs. Gene ontology term analysis revealed biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components that were significant. Most terms were tissue dependent. For liver, oxygen binding and transport terms were highlighted, suggesting possible impacts on metabolism. For gills, muscle and cytoskeleton related terms were emphasized and for olfactory tissues, immune response related genes were accentuated. Interaction networks were examined in combination with GO terms and determined similarities between tissues for potential osmosenors and signal transduction cascades. Overall this study suggests that Pacific salmonids share many salinity acclimation molecular mechanisms with other species, with a few new genes identified, and that although the three tissues shared certain underlying mechanism, many of the differentially expressed genes were tissue-specific.
Project description:Guanitoxin, a neurotoxin produced by cyanobacteria and the only known naturally occurring organophosphate, poses environmental risks comparable to synthetic organophosphate insecticides. Its effects on aquatic organisms, particularly in combination with compounds sharing similar mechanisms of action, remain poorly understood. This study evaluated the developmental toxicity of guanitoxin, alone and combined with the organophosphate insecticides malathion and trichlorfon, in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and larvae at environmentally relevant concentrations. Developmental, neurobehavioral, and molecular endpoints were assessed. All compounds exhibited dose-dependent toxicity, with mixtures significantly enhancing both lethal and sublethal effects. The trichlorfon + guanitoxin combination was particularly potent, causing embryo coagulation, cardiac arrest, hatching failure, and pronounced pericardial swelling. Sublethal effects were consistently observed across mixtures, including edema, craniofacial malformations, muscle disorganization, and strong hypoactivity. Transcriptomic profiling revealed downregulation of genes critical for muscle contraction, synaptic signaling, energy metabolism and oxidative stress. The highest number of differentially expressed genes was observed in the trichlorfon + guanitoxin mixture (1348 genes). Synergistic interactions were observed, with mixture-induced effects exceeding those of individual compounds. Together, these findings demonstrate that guanitoxin, particularly in combination with synthetic organophosphates, poses a significant ecological risk and highlights the importance of considering mixture toxicity in environmental risk assessments.