Sensitivity of Phytoplankton to Copper in Lake Superior

Twiss, Michael R.; Rattan, K.J.; Sherrell, Robert M.; McKay, R. Michael L.

doi:10.1016/s0380-1330(04)70389-5

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Copper and cadmium are two metals that are known environmental stressors [1][2][3], and both may be present at relatively high concentrations in the natural environment [4][5][6]. Copper has been measured in many fresh waters at or above concentrations that are toxic to phytoplankton [7]. Although typically found at lower ambient concentrations [4][5][6], Cd is known to be toxic even at low concentrations [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential effects of copper and cadmium exposure on toxicity endpoints and gene expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Stoiber

Shafer

Armstrong

2009

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract-The toxicity of cadmium to aquatic organisms is well known, but the mechanisms of toxicity are not as clearly understood. In the present study, Cd bioassay experiments incorporating both traditional endpoints and novel thiol-based endpoints were conducted with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The results were compared with results from previous bioassay experiments to probe the apparent contrasting biochemical mechanisms of toxicity of copper and cadmium as expressed in cellular glutathione and the glutathione cycle. Total glutathione and reduced to oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) measurements were remarkably different in Cd-compared with Cu-exposed cells. Whereas total glutathione in cells decreased with increasing Cu concentration, Cd caused dramatic increases. Total glutathione increased by 4.5-fold with 80 nM Cd treatment over concentrations in Cd-free controls. Glutathione reductase (GR) enzyme activity was positively correlated (r 2 Cu ¼ 0.96, r 2 Cd ¼ 0.85) with glutathione concentrations for both metals. Measurements of mRNA for GR were increased 2-fold in response to Cd exposure (80 nM) and correlated well with GR enzyme activity. Glutathione concentrations and GR enzyme activity are useful endpoints for both Cu and Cd toxicity in algae, even though the metals elicit opposing responses. We conclude that Cu decreases glutathione concentrations by inhibiting GR enzyme activity. In contrast, Cd stimulates GR enzyme activity and increases glutathione concentrations as cells respond to Cd-induced stress by producing increased antioxidant capacity. The present study demonstrates that determining the glutathione response in cells is important for understanding the metalspecific mechanisms of toxicity and that these associated novel endpoints may be useful metrics for accurately predicting toxicity.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential effects of copper and cadmium exposure on toxicity endpoints and gene expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Stoiber

Shafer

Armstrong

2009

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous studies demonstrated that the Cyanophyceae are generally the most sensitive species to Cu toxicity compared with other eukaryotic phytoplankton, based on the ambient dissolved Cu or [Cu 2þ ] concentration [9,11,12,33]. By comparing the IC50 values among different freshwater and marine phytoplankton species, we found that M. aeruginosa was of the highest sensitivity according to IC50 calculated based on the ads-Cu and intra-Cu.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

High sensitivity of cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to copper and the prediction of copper toxicity

Zeng

Yang

Wang

2010

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microcystis aeruginosa is a dominant cyanobacterium commonly found in Chinese freshwater ecosystems during phytoplankton blooms, and copper sulfate is one of the most frequently used algicides for controlling the nuisance blooms. In this study, we examined the effects of varied water chemistry (dissolved organic matter, pH, and hardness) on copper (Cu) toxicity to M. aeruginosa, as well as the Cu short-term uptake kinetics, using (67)Cu as a radioactive tracer. Elevated dissolved organic matter concentrations resulted in a reduction of Cu toxicity, and increasing pH in the range 6.7 to 8.5 led to an increase of Cu toxicity based on the ambient dissolved Cu concentration. The variation of growth inhibition was much more dependent on the intracellular Cu concentration than on the total ambient Cu or calculated free Cu(2+) concentration; thus, the biotic ligand model could be used to explain the Cu toxicity to M. aeruginosa under different water chemistry conditions. We demonstrated that M. aeruginosa were extremely sensitive to Cu toxicity compared with other freshwater phytoplankton species based on the intracellular Cu concentration. The median inhibition concentration of intracellular Cu was as low as 3.3 to 13.1 × 10(-18) mol Cu/cell for all treatments. The Cu short-term uptake kinetics in M. aeruginosa could be explained by the free-ion activity model. The uptake rate, however, could not explain the discrepancy in Cu sensitivity between M. aeruginosa and other phytoplankton species. Other mechanisms might explain the extreme sensitivity of M. aeruginosa to Cu toxicity.

show abstract

“…Previous studies demonstrated that the Cyanophyceae are generally the most sensitive species to Cu toxicity compared with other eukaryotic phytoplankton, based on the ambient dissolved Cu or [Cu 2+ ] concentration 9, 11, 12, 33. By comparing the IC50 values among different freshwater and marine phytoplankton species, we found that M .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…It has been reported that the prokaryotic cyanobacteria are very sensitive to Cu toxicity compared with other eukaryotic phytoplankton 6, 9–12. Quigg et al 13 suggested that the higher Cu uptake rate in cyanobacteria (several orders of magnitude higher than that of other phytoplankton) might account for such high sensitivity to Cu toxicity, whereas Hadjoudja et al 14 recently found no difference in the sensitivity to Cu toxicity between M. aeruginosa and Chlorella vulgaris .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

USDA Stakeholder Workshop on Animal Bioinformatics: summary and recommendations

Hamernik

Adelson

2003

Comp Funct Genom

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An electronic workshop was conducted on 4 November–13 December 2002 to discuss current issues and needs in animal bioinformatics. The electronic (e-mail listserver) format was chosen to provide a relatively speedy process that is broad in scope, cost-efficient and easily accessible to all participants. Approximately 40 panelists with diverse species and discipline expertise communicated through the panel e-mail listserver. The panel included scientists from academia, industry and government, in the USA, Australia and the UK. A second ‘stakeholder’ e-mail listserver was used to obtain input from a broad audience with general interests in animal genomics. The objectives of the electronic workshop were: (a) to define priorities for animal genome database development; and (b) to recommend ways in which the USDA could provide leadership in the area of animal genome database development. E-mail messages from panelists and stakeholders are archived at http://genome.cvm.umn.edu/bioinfo/. Priorities defined for animal genome database development included: (a) data repository; (b) tools for genome analysis; (c) annotation; (d) practical application of genomic data; and (e) a biological framework for DNA sequence. A stable source of funding, such as the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), was recommended to support maintenance of data repositories and data curation. Continued support for competitive grants programs within the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) was recommended for tool development and hypothesis-driven research projects in genome analysis. Additional stakeholder input will be required to continuously refine priorities and maximize the use of limited resources for animal bioinformatics within the USDA.

show abstract

Sensitivity of Phytoplankton to Copper in Lake Superior

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

Differential effects of copper and cadmium exposure on toxicity endpoints and gene expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Differential effects of copper and cadmium exposure on toxicity endpoints and gene expression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

High sensitivity of cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to copper and the prediction of copper toxicity

USDA Stakeholder Workshop on Animal Bioinformatics: summary and recommendations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About