A positive correlation between mercury and oxidative stress-related gene expression ( GPX3 and GSTM3) is measured in female Double-crested Cormorant blood.

Autor: Gibson, Laura, Lavoie, Raphael, Bissegger, Sonja, Campbell, Linda, Langlois, Valerie
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Zdroj: Ecotoxicology; Aug2014, Vol. 23 Issue 6, p1004-1014, 11p
Abstrakt: Mercury (Hg) is a widespread contaminant that has been shown to induce a wide range of adverse health effects in birds including reproductive, physiological and neurological impairments. Here we explored the relationship between blood total Hg concentrations ([THg]) and oxidative stress gene induction in the aquatic piscivorous Double-crested Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus) using a non-lethal technique, i.e., blood gene expression analysis. P. auritus blood was sampled at five sites across the Great Lakes basin, Ontario, Canada and was analyzed for [THg]. To assess cellular stress, the expression of glutathione peroxidases 1 and 3 ( GPX1, GPX3), superoxide dismutase 1 ( SOD1), heat-shock protein 70 kd-8 ( HSP70- 8) and glutathione S-transferase µ3 ( GSTM3) were measured in whole blood samples using real-time RT-PCR. Results showed a significantly positive correlation between female blood [THg] and both GPX3 and GSTM3 expression. Different levels of oxidative stress experienced by males and females during the breeding season may be influencing the differential oxidative stress responses to blood [THg] observed in this study. Overall, these results suggest that Hg may lead to oxidative stress as some of the cellular stress-related genes were altered in the blood of female P. auritus and that blood gene expression analysis is a successful approach to assess bird health condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index
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