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Jeremias G, Muñiz-González AB, Mendes Gonçalves FJ, Martínez-Guitarte JL, Asselman J, Luísa Pereira J. History of exposure to copper influences transgenerational gene expression responses in Daphnia magna. Epigenetics 2024; 19:2296275. [PMID: 38154067 PMCID: PMC10761054 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2296275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The establishment of transgenerational effects following chemical exposure is a powerful phenomenon, capable of modulating ecosystem health beyond exposure periods. This study assessed the transgenerational effects occurring due to copper exposure in the invertebrate D. magna at the transcriptional level, while evaluating the role of exposure history on such responses. Thus, daphnids acclimated for several generations in a copper vs. clean medium were then exposed for one generation (F0) to this metal, and monitored for the following non-exposed generations (F1, F2 and F3). Organisms differing in exposure histories showed remarkably different transcriptional profiles at the F0, with naïve organisms being more profoundly affected. These trends were confirmed for F3 treatments, which presented different transcriptional patterns for genes involved in detoxification, oxidative stress, DNA damage repair, circadian clock functioning and epigenetic regulation. Furthermore, regardless of exposure history, a great number of histone modifier genes were always found transcriptionally altered, thus suggesting the involvement of histone modifications in the response of Daphnia to metal exposure. Lastly, remarkably distinct transgenerational transcriptional responses were found between naïve and non-naïve organisms, thereby highlighting the influence of exposure history on gene expression and confirming the capacity of metals to determine transgenerational transcriptional effects across non-exposed generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Jeremias
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ana-Belén Muñiz-González
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
- Biology & Toxicology Group, Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Fluids, National Distance Education University (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - José-Luis Martínez-Guitarte
- Biology & Toxicology Group, Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Fluids, National Distance Education University (UNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jana Asselman
- Blue Growth Research Lab, Ghent University, Ostend, Belgium
| | - Joana Luísa Pereira
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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2
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Pinto A, Macário IPE, Marques SM, Lourenço J, Domingues I, Botelho MJ, Asselman J, Pereira P, Pereira JL. A short-term exposure to saxitoxin triggers a multitude of deleterious effects in Daphnia magna at levels deemed safe for human health. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 951:175431. [PMID: 39128511 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2024] [Revised: 08/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Harmful algal blooms and the toxins produced during these events are a human and environmental health concern worldwide. Saxitoxin and its derivatives are potent natural aquatic neurotoxins produced by certain freshwater cyanobacteria and marine algae species during these bloom events. Saxitoxins effects on human health are well studied, however its effects on aquatic biota are still largely unexplored. This work aims at evaluating the effects of a pulse acute exposure (24 h) of the model cladoceran Daphnia magna to 30 μg saxitoxin L-1, which corresponds to the safety guideline established by the World Health Organization (WHO) for these toxins in recreational freshwaters. Saxitoxin effects were assessed through a comprehensive array of biochemical (antioxidant enzymes activity and lipid peroxidation), genotoxicity (alkaline comet assay), neurotoxicity (total cholinesterases activity), behavioral (swimming patterns), physiological (feeding rate and heart rate), and epigenetic (total 5-mC DNA methylation) biomarkers. Exposure resulted in decreased feeding rate, heart rate, total cholinesterases activity and catalase activity. Contrarily, other antioxidant enzymes, namely glutathione-S-transferases and selenium-dependent Glutathione peroxidase had their activity increased, together with lipid peroxidation levels. The enhancement of the antioxidant enzymes was not sufficient to prevent oxidative damage, as underpinned by lipid peroxidation enhancement. Accordingly, average DNA damage level was significantly increased in STX-exposed daphnids. Total DNA 5-mC level was significantly decreased in exposed organisms. Results showed that even a short-term exposure to saxitoxin causes significant effects on critical molecular and cellular pathways and modulates swimming patterns in D. magna individuals. This study highlights sub-lethal effects caused by saxitoxin in D. magna, suggesting that these toxins may represent a marked challenge to their thriving even at a concentration deemed safe for humans by the WHO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albano Pinto
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Inês P E Macário
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sérgio M Marques
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Joana Lourenço
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Inês Domingues
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Maria João Botelho
- IPMA, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho 6, 1495-165 Algés, Portugal; CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Jana Asselman
- Blue Growth Research Lab, Ghent University, Bluebridge Building, Ostend Science Park 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium
| | - Patrícia Pereira
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Joana L Pereira
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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Chauhan V, Beaton D, Tollefsen KE, Preston J, Burtt JJ, Leblanc J, Hamada N, Azzam EI, Armant O, Bouffler S, Azimzadeh O, Moertl S, Yamada Y, Tanaka IB, Kaiser JC, Applegate K, Laurier D, Garnier-Laplace J. Radiation Adverse Outcome pathways (AOPs): examining priority questions from an international horizon-style exercise. Int J Radiat Biol 2024; 100:982-995. [PMID: 38718325 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2024.2348072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) Development Programme is being explored in the radiation field, as an overarching framework to identify and prioritize research needs that best support strengthening of radiation risk assessment and risk management strategies. To advance the use of AOPs, an international horizon-style exercise (HSE) was initiated through the Radiation/Chemical AOP Joint Topical Group (JTG) formed by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) High-Level Group on Low Dose Research (HLG-LDR) under the auspices of the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH). The intent of the HSE was to identify key research questions for consideration in AOP development that would help to reduce uncertainties in estimating the health risks following exposures to low dose and low dose-rate ionizing radiation. The HSE was conducted in several phases involving the solicitation of relevant questions, a collaborative review of open-ended candidate questions and an elimination exercise that led to the selection of 25 highest priority questions for the stated purpose. These questions were further ranked by over 100 respondents through an international survey. This final set of questions was judged to provide insights into how the OECD's AOP approach can be put into practice to meet the needs of hazard and risk assessors, regulators, and researchers. This paper examines the 25 priority questions in the context of hazard/risk assessment framework for ionizing radiation. CONCLUSION By addressing the 25 priority questions, it is anticipated that constructed AOPs will have a high level of specificity, making them valuable tools for simplifying and prioritizing complex biological processes for use in developing revised radiation hazard and risk assessment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinita Chauhan
- Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Danielle Beaton
- Isotopes, Radiobiology and Environment Directorate, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Canada
| | - Knut Erik Tollefsen
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Julian Preston
- Office of Air and Radiation, Radiation Protection Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Julie J Burtt
- Directorate of Environmental and Radiation Protection and Assessment, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Julie Leblanc
- Directorate of Environmental and Radiation Protection and Assessment, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Nobuyuki Hamada
- Biology and Environmental Chemistry Division, Sustainable System Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Chiba, Japan
| | - Edouard I Azzam
- Isotopes, Radiobiology and Environment Directorate, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Canada
| | - Olivier Armant
- Institut de Radioprotection Et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SERPEN/LECO, Cadarache, France
| | | | - Omid Azimzadeh
- Federal Office of Radiation Protection, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Simone Moertl
- Federal Office of Radiation Protection, Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Yutaka Yamada
- Department of Radiation Effects Research, Institute for Radiological Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ignacia B Tanaka
- Department of Radiobiology, Institute for Environmental Sciences, Aomori, Japan
| | | | - Kimberly Applegate
- Department of Radiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA (retired)
| | - Dominique Laurier
- Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Fontenay aux Roses, France
| | - Jacqueline Garnier-Laplace
- On secondment from IRSN to the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health's secretariat, Paris, France
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Ng TH, Harrison MC, Scharsack JP, Kurtz J. Disentangling specific and unspecific components of innate immune memory in a copepod-tapeworm system. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1307477. [PMID: 38348037 PMCID: PMC10859752 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1307477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence that the innate immune system can respond with forms of memory upon reinfection has been accumulating over the past few years. These phenomena of "immune priming" in invertebrates, and "trained immunity" in vertebrates, are contrary to previous belief that immune memory and specificity are restricted to the adaptive immune system. However, while trained immunity is usually a response with rather low specificity, immune priming has shown highly specific responses in certain species. To date, it is largely unknown how specificity in innate immune memory can be achieved in response to different parasite types. Here, we revisited a system where an exceptionally high degree of innate immune specificity had been demonstrated for the first time, consisting of the copepod Macrocyclops albidus and its natural parasite, the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus. Using homologous (same family) vs. heterologous (different family) priming-challenge experiments, we first confirm that copepods exposed to the same parasite family benefit from reduced secondary infections. We further focused on exposed-but-not-infected copepods in primary exposure to employ a transcriptomic approach, distinguishing between immunity that was either specific or unspecific regarding the discrimination between tapeworm types. A weighted gene co-expression network (WGCN) revealed differences between specific and unspecific immunity; while both involved histone modification regulation, specific immunity involved gene-splicing factors, whereas unspecific immunity was primarily involved in metabolic shift. We found a functional enrichment in spliceosome in specific immunity, whereas oxidative phosphorylation and carbon metabolism were enriched in unspecific immunity. Our findings allow discrimination of specific and unspecific components of an innate immune memory, based on gene expression networks, and deepen our understanding of basic aspects of immune systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tze Hann Ng
- *Correspondence: Tze Hann Ng, ; Joachim Kurtz,
| | | | | | - Joachim Kurtz
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Ferreira MF, Turner A, Vernon EL, Grisolia C, Lebaron-Jacobs L, Malard V, Jha AN. Tritium: Its relevance, sources and impacts on non-human biota. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 876:162816. [PMID: 36921857 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Tritium (3H) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is abundantly released from nuclear industries. It is extremely mobile in the environment and in all biological systems, representing an increasing concern for the health of both humans and non-human biota (NHB). The present review examines the sources and characteristics of tritium in the environment, and evaluates available information pertaining to its biological effects at different levels of biological organisation in NHB. Despite an increasing number of publications in the tritium radiobiology field, there exists a significant disparity between data available for the different taxonomic groups and species, and observations are heavily biased towards marine bivalves, fish and mammals (rodents). Further limitations relate to the scarcity of information in the field relative to the laboratory, and lack of studies that employ forms of tritium other than tritiated water (HTO). Within these constraints, different responses to HTO exposure, from molecular to behavioural, have been reported during early life stages, but the potential transgenerational effects are unclear. The application of rapidly developing "omics" techniques could help to fill these knowledge gaps and further elucidate the relationships between molecular and organismal level responses through the development of radiation specific adverse outcome pathways (AOPs). The use of a greater diversity of keystone species and exposures to multiple stressors, elucidating other novel effects (e.g., by-stander, germ-line, transgenerational and epigenetic effects) offers opportunities to improve environmental risk assessments for the radionuclide. These could be combined with artificial intelligence (AI) including machine learning (ML) and ecosystem-based approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Florencia Ferreira
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Andrew Turner
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Emily L Vernon
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | | | | | - Veronique Malard
- Aix Marseille Univ, CEA, CNRS, BIAM, IPM, F-13108 Saint Paul-Lez-Durance, France
| | - Awadhesh N Jha
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
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Pham K, Ho L, D'Incal CP, De Cock A, Berghe WV, Goethals P. Epigenetic analytical approaches in ecotoxicological aquatic research. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 330:121737. [PMID: 37121302 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Environmental epigenetics has become a key research focus in global climate change studies and environmental pollutant investigations impacting aquatic ecosystems. Specifically, triggered by environmental stress conditions, intergenerational DNA methylation changes contribute to biological adaptive responses and survival of organisms to increase their tolerance towards these conditions. To critically review epigenetic analytical approaches in ecotoxicological aquatic research, we evaluated 78 publications reported over the past five years (2016-2021) that applied these methods to investigate the responses of aquatic organisms to environmental changes and pollution. The results show that DNA methylation appears to be the most robust epigenetic regulatory mark studied in aquatic animals. As such, multiple DNA methylation analysis methods have been developed in aquatic organisms, including enzyme restriction digestion-based and methyl-specific immunoprecipitation methods, and bisulfite (in)dependent sequencing strategies. In contrast, only a handful of aquatic studies, i.e. about 15%, have been focusing on histone variants and post-translational modifications due to the lack of species-specific affinity based immunological reagents, such as specific antibodies for chromatin immunoprecipitation applications. Similarly, ncRNA regulation remains as the least popular method used in the field of environmental epigenetics. Insights into the opportunities and challenges of the DNA methylation and histone variant analysis methods as well as decreasing costs of next generation sequencing approaches suggest that large-scale epigenetic environmental studies in model and non-model organisms will soon become available in the near future. Moreover, antibody-dependent and independent methods, such as mass spectrometry-based methods, can be used as an alternative epigenetic approach to characterize global changes of chromatin histone modifications in future aquatic research. Finally, a systematic guide for DNA methylation and histone variant methods is offered for ecotoxicological aquatic researchers to select the most relevant epigenetic analytical approach in their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Pham
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium.
| | - Long Ho
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Claudio Peter D'Incal
- Protein Chemistry, Proteomics and Epigenetic Signaling (PPES), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, 2610, Belgium
| | - Andrée De Cock
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Wim Vanden Berghe
- Protein Chemistry, Proteomics and Epigenetic Signaling (PPES), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, 2610, Belgium
| | - Peter Goethals
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
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Pradhoshini KP, Priyadharshini M, Santhanabharathi B, Ahmed MS, Parveen MHS, War MUD, Musthafa MS, Alam L, Falco F, Faggio C. Biological effects of ionizing radiation on aquatic biota - A critical review. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2023; 99:104091. [PMID: 36870406 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ionizing radiation from radionuclides impacts marine aquatic biota and the scope of investigation must be wider than just invertebrates. We intend to detail and illustrate numerous biological effects that occur in both aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates, at various dose rates from all three kinds of ionizing radiation. The characteristics of radiation sources and dosages that would most effectively generate the intended effects in the irradiated organism were assessed once the biological differentiation between vertebrates and invertebrates was determined through multiple lines of evidence. We contend that invertebrates are still more radiosensitive than vertebrates, due to their small genome size, rapid reproduction rates and lifestyle, which help them to compensate for the effects of radiation induced declines in fecundity, life span and individual health. We also identified various research gaps in this field and suggest future directions to be investigated to remedy the lack of data available in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumara Perumal Pradhoshini
- Unit of Research in Radiation Biology & Environmental Radioactivity (URRBER), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India; Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Research Centre for Sustainability Science and Governance (SGK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Marckasagayam Priyadharshini
- Unit of Research in Radiation Biology & Environmental Radioactivity (URRBER), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Bharathi Santhanabharathi
- Unit of Research in Radiation Biology & Environmental Radioactivity (URRBER), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Munawar Suhail Ahmed
- Unit of Research in Radiation Biology & Environmental Radioactivity (URRBER), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Mohamat Hanifa Shafeeka Parveen
- Unit of Aquatic biology and Aquaculture (UABA), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Mehraj Ud Din War
- Unit of Aquatic biology and Aquaculture (UABA), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India
| | - Mohamed Saiyad Musthafa
- Unit of Research in Radiation Biology & Environmental Radioactivity (URRBER), P.G. & Research Department of Zoology, The New College (Autonomous), Affiliated to University of Madras, Chennai 600 014, Tamilnadu, India; Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Research Centre for Sustainability Science and Governance (SGK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Lubna Alam
- Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Research Centre for Sustainability Science and Governance (SGK), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Franscesca Falco
- National Research Council, Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology (IRBIM), Mazara del Vallo, Italy
| | - Caterina Faggio
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy.
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Jeremias G, Veloso T, Gonçalves FJM, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Pereira JL, Asselman J. Multigenerational DNA methylation responses to copper exposure in Daphnia: Potential targets for epigenetic biomarkers? CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 308:136231. [PMID: 36055596 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are moving to the forefront of environmental sciences, as environmentally induced epigenetic changes shape biological responses to chemical contamination. This work focused on Daphnia as a representative of potentially threatened freshwater biota, aiming to gain an insight into the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in their response and eventual adaptation to metal contamination. Copper-induced DNA methylation changes, their potential transgenerational inheritance, and life-history traits were assessed. Organisms with different histories of past exposure to copper were exposed to toxic levels of the element for one generation (F0) and then monitored for three subsequent unexposed generations (F1, F2, and F3). Overall, methylation changes targeted important genes for counteracting the effects of metals and oxidative stress, including dynein light chain, ribosomal kinase and nuclear fragile X mental retardation-interacting protein. Also, contrasting overall and gene-specific methylation responses were observed in organisms differing in their history of exposure to copper, with different transgenerational methylation responses being also identified among the two groups, without apparent life-history costs. Taken together, these results demonstrate the capacity of copper to promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance in a manner related explicitly to history of exposure, thereby supporting the development and incorporation of epigenetic biomarkers in risk assessment frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Jeremias
- Department of Biology & CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Telma Veloso
- Department of Biology & CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Portugal; CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Fernando J M Gonçalves
- Department of Biology & CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | - Joana Luísa Pereira
- Department of Biology & CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Jana Asselman
- Blue Growth Research Lab, Ghent University, Bluebridge Building, Ostend Science Park 1, 8400, Ostend, Belgium
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Becker BV, Kaatsch HL, Nestler K, Jakobi J, Schäfer B, Hantke T, Brockmann MA, Waldeck S, Port M, Ullmann R. Impact of medical imaging on the epigenome - low-dose exposure in the course of computed tomography does not induce detectable changes of DNA-methylation profiles in peripheral blood cells. Int J Radiat Biol 2021; 98:980-985. [PMID: 34779695 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2021.2004329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Computed tomography (CT) is a main contributor to artificial low-dose exposure. Understanding the biological effects induced by CT exposure and their dependency on the characteristics of photon spectra is essential for knowledge-driven risk assessment. In a previous gene expression study, we have identified upregulation of AEN, BAX, DDB2, EDA2R and FDXR after ex vivo exposure with single-energy CT and dual-energy CT (DECT). In this study, we focused on CT-induced changes of DNA methylation. This epigenetic modification of DNA is a central regulator of gene expression and instrumental in preserving genome integrity. Previous studies reported focal hypermethylation and global hypomethylation after exposure with doses above 100 mSv, however, the effect of low dose exposure on DNA methylation is hardly explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS DNA was isolated from peripheral blood of three healthy individuals 6 h after ex vivo exposition to single-energy (80 kV and 150 kV) and DECT (80 kV/Sn150 kV) with a calculated effective dose of 7.0 ± 0.08 mSv. The experimental setting was identical to the one used in our previous gene expression study enabling a direct comparison of gene expression results with changes of DNA methylation identified in this study. DNA methylation was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA targeted methylation sequencing. RESULTS Unsupervised hierarchical clustering based on DNA methylation profiles of all samples created three distinct clusters. Formation of these three clusters was solely determined by the origin of samples, indicating the absence of prominent irradiation-associated changes of DNA methylation. In line with this observation, inter-individual comparison of non-irradiated samples revealed 1163, 1224 and 4550 significant differentially methylated regions (DMRs), respectively, whereas the pairwise comparison of irradiated and non-irradiated samples failed to identify irradiation-induced DMRs in any of the three probands. This even applied to the genomic regions harboring AEN, BAX, DDB2, EDA2R and FDXR, the five genes known to be upregulated by CT exposure. CONCLUSIONS CT exposure with various photon spectra did not result in detectable changes of DNA methylation. However, minor effects in a subpopulation of irradiated cells cannot be ruled out. Thus, future studies with extended observation intervals are needed to investigate DNA methylation changes that are induced by indirect effects at later points of time or become detectable by clonal expansion of affected cells. Moreover, our data suggest that DNA methylation analysis is less sensitive in detecting immediate effects of low-dose irradiation when compared to gene expression analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kai Nestler
- Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Bundeswehr Central Hospital, Koblenz, Germany
| | - Julia Jakobi
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology Affiliated to Ulm University, Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara Schäfer
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology Affiliated to Ulm University, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Hantke
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology Affiliated to Ulm University, Munich, Germany
| | - Marc A Brockmann
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Waldeck
- Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Bundeswehr Central Hospital, Koblenz, Germany
| | - Matthias Port
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology Affiliated to Ulm University, Munich, Germany
| | - Reinhard Ullmann
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology Affiliated to Ulm University, Munich, Germany
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