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(33-07) Functional genomics of acute and chronic metal exposures in aquatic organisms. Bury, Nicolas*,1, Balaseria, Sara1, Andong, Qui1, Muyssen, Brita2, Janssen, Colin2, Hogstrand, Christer1, 1 King's College London, Division of Life Sciences, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, United Kingdom2 Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Gent University, J. Plateaustraat 22, Gent, Belgium ABSTRACT- To protect itself from the deleterious effects of acute or chronic metal exposure organisms elicit an integrative response at the cellular and organismal level. This response will be characterised by reduced metal uptake, replacement of target molecules, increased metal detoxification pathways, increased metal-binding proteins as well as an increase in metal exporter expression. In conjunction, to enable the organisms to carry out all of these responses there will also be an increase in the transcriptional machinery and an increase in the cellular capacity to generate energy. These biological variables can be assessed in an integrative fashion by the use of functional genomics. Here we describe, by use of subtractive cDNA hybridisation and screening of heterologous cDNA macroarray libraries, the genomic response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gills to acute exposure to zinc and silver, and the genomic characteristics of zinc and copper-acclimated Daphnia magna. Searches of gene databases were performed to provide information regarding the potential function of a number of these up-regulated genes, and they could be broadly grouped as being involved in paracellular integrity, protein synthesis, energy synthesis, and immune response. The pattern of gene transcription of metal exposed animal will be related to the known physiological responses of organisms to a metal and will highlight the need to understand these adaptive responses when predicting the effect of metal pollution Key words: Funtional Genomics, Metal responses, Invertebrates, Teleost Fish |
