Gene expression profiling in the deep water horse mussel Modiolus modiolus (L.) located near a marine municipal wastewater outfall

• Published in: Aquatic toxicology Vol. 93; no. 2; pp. 116 - 124
• Main Authors: Veldhoen, Nik, Lowe, Christopher J., Davis, Céline, Mazumder, Asit, Helbing, Caren C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 28-06-2009; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Bivalve; Bivalvia; DNA primers; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; effluents; Environmental contaminant; Environmental Monitoring; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling; General aspects; genotoxicity; Marine; messenger RNA; Modiolus; Modiolus modiolus; Molecular Sequence Data; mRNA; mussels; Mytilidae - classification; Mytilidae - genetics; Mytilidae - metabolism; nucleotide sequences; Oceans and Seas; pollutants; polymerase chain reaction; Real-time PCR; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater - chemistry; Synecology; toxicity; transcription (genetics); Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; water pollution; British Columbia; Environmental contaminant; Real-time PCR; mRNA; Gene expression; Wastewater; Modiolus; Bivalve; Ecotoxicology; Toxicity; Deep water; Waste water; Marine environment; Polymerase chain reaction; Aquatic environment; Pollution; Messenger RNA; Bivalvia; Environment; Urban waste water; Invertebrata; Mollusca; Contaminant
• ISSN: 0166-445X; 1879-1514
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.04.002

The marine bivalve
Modiolus modiolus (L.) is a sentinel species used for the assessment of potential biological exposure to anthropogenic contaminants in benthic environments. Herein, we have developed real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays for 12 specific mRNAs. The levels of each mRNA transcript were evaluated in adductor muscle, gonad, and hepatopancreas tissue collected from animals located at a reference site and a site near a preliminary municipal wastewater treatment outfall. Significant differences in mRNA abundance in animals located at the wastewater outfall site were observed for
CAT and
NET/SCF6 in all three tissues examined,
ABCA4 and
HSP70 transcript abundance were increased in the adductor muscle and hepatopancreas, respectively. Transcript levels for MDR, CYP4, rpS4, rpS9, and Ca
2+-ATPase were not different between sites in the three tissues examined. This study sets the foundation for further evaluation of these transcripts’ utility in the evaluation of effluent effects within the marine environment.