PW05 Genomics and Proteomics
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Wednesday, 12 November 2003
(PW102) Application of Molecular Biomarkers to Water Quality Monitoring in the Sierra Nevadas.
Roberts, A1, McClain, J1, Steffen, K1, Hoffmann, J1, Smith, C1, Oris, J1, 1 Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056
ABSTRACT- Transcriptional biomarkers have been proposed to act as indicators of pollutant stress and as early warning systems of potential environmental impact. This study sought to evaluate changes in CYPIA1, MXR, and HSP70 gene expression as biomarkers of contamination resulting from motorized watercraft activity. In two separate exposures conducted in 2001 and 2002, fingerling rainbow trout were exposed to Donner Lake (Truckee, CA) water in situ and sampled daily for approximately one week. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure relative amounts of gene specific mRNA in gill and liver tissues. In 2001, mRNA levels for HSP70 and MXR did not vary significantly over time and did not correlate well with boat activity. CYPIA1 gene expression in the liver was most indicative of increased boating activity and pollutant presence. In 2002, there was a general trend towards increasing CYPIA1 expression over the length of the exposure, the last day showing expression significantly higher than the first. Although boating activity was not quantified for the second exposure, CYPIA1 expression correlated well with total PAH concentrations. Furthermore, results of zooplankton and larval fish toxicity testing indicated that concentrations of PAHs found in these waters were sufficient to result in acute, photoinduced toxicity. These data indicated that changes in CYPIA1 expression may correlate directly with levels of motorized watercraft activity, thus providing a valuable tool for monitoring aquatic systems.
Key words: biomarker, PAH, phototoxicity, CYPIA1