Glutathione‐S‐transferase in Nereis succinea (Polychaeta) and its induction by xeno‐estrogen

Abstract

The need to replace or at least to reduce the use of vertebrates in toxicity tests is a timely major concern in research and industry but to date, efforts made to minimize their use are still far from complete. Increasing demands for toxicity tests put considerable pressures upon the development of future fast and efficient test methods using invertebrates. In fact, to date, few studies provide links between biochemical and cellular effects of xeno-estrogens in aquatic invertebrates. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity, as a biomarker of stress exposure, was measured in the population of clamworms (Nereis succinea) from Cardiff Bay. In addition, we examined the effect of single exposure to nonylphenol (NP) on this enzymatic activity. Field study results showed a relationship between the worm's size, reproductive status, and GST activity from the field population. In addition, we show a significant increase in the GST activity at 100 μg/L NP with sex-specific responses. The xeno-estrogens, which could affect reproduction of nereid by interfering in normal endocrinological pathways, are eliminated through GST by conjugation with glutathione. This work shows for the first time that GST activity depends on sex and stage of the clamworms and also that the xeno-estrogen NP induces its activity. This study supports the use of this species as a bioindicator of aquatic pollution and lays the foundation to causally link toxic exposure with reproductive output.

RNA-Seq Analyses of Midgut and Fat Body Tissues Reveal the Molecular Mechanism Underlying Spodoptera litura Resistance to Tomatine

“…TOM is a tetrasaccharide linked to the 3-OH group of the aglycone tomatidine (Supplementary Figure S1) and could induces permeabilisation of the cell membrane and a loss of the cytosolic enzyme pyruvate kinase (Medina et al, 2015). Intriguingly, as some environmental compounds induce excessive GST expression, certain GSTs have been utilized as biomarkers of environmental pollution (Pérez-López et al, 2002; Ayoola et al, 2011), and GSTs have many other functions that remain to be explored. In this study, we further studied the contribution of the GSTS1 gene to mediating TOM resistance in S. litura , as this relationship has not yet been reported.…”

Antioxidant enzymes responses of polychaete Perinereis aibuhitensis following chronic exposure to 17β-estradiol

“…Induction of GST activity was also observed following NP treatment in the polychaete Nereis succinea (Ayoola et al 2011). In studies in which GST enzyme activity was used as a biomarker in polychaetes exposed to various heavy metals and/or metal polluted environments, enzyme activity either increased or decreased with different patterns according to the elements studied or the exposure conditions (Mosleh et al 2006;Won et al 2011).…”

Biological responses to contaminants in the Humber Estuary: Disentangling complex relationships

“…Determination of xeno-estrogens was according to Ayoola et al (2010) adapted for sediments. Five grams of sediment was spiked with 100 µl of internal standard ([13C6]-363 NP) and extracted with 90 ml hexane:isopropanol (85:15, v:v) during 6 hours at 60 ºC.…”

“…French estuaries (Durou et al, 2007), and in the exposure of Alitta (Nereis) succinea to copper (Rhee et al, 2007) and to the xeno-estrogen nonylphenol (Ayoola et al, 2010). The ragworm H. diversicolor was used as a sentinel species in the present study given its success as an estuarine species as shown by large and widespread populations in European estuaries and its previously reported use as a biomarker (Pocklington and Wells, 1992, Poirier et al, 2006, Sun and Zhou, 2008.…”