Metallothionein mRNA induction is correlated with the decrease of DNA strand breaks in cadmium exposed zebra mussels

Mechanisms of Heavy Metal Cadmium (Cd)-Induced Malignancy

The environmental pollution of cadmium is worsening, and its significant carcinogenic effects on humans have been confirmed. Cadmium can induce cancer through various signaling pathways, including the ERK/JNK/p38MAPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, NF-κB, and Wnt. It can also cause cancer by directly damaging DNA and inhibiting DNA repair systems, or through epigenetic mechanisms such as abnormal DNA methylation, LncRNA, and microRNA. However, the detailed mechanisms of Cd-induced cancer are still not fully understood and require further investigation.

Interactive effects of cadmium and Benzo[a]pyrene in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) during short-term aqueous co-exposure

Environmental water quality guidelines often work under the assumption that the toxicity of environmental pollutants is identical when present in isolation or in a complex chemical mixture. Thus, there is a crucial gap in our knowledge regarding how these toxicants interact and alter the toxicological effects in aquatic organisms. The present study examined the effects of acute (72-hr) aqueous exposures of Cadmium (Cd), a highly toxic non-essential trace metal, and Benzo[a]Pyrene (B[a]P), a prototypical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in adult zebrafish. Following a range-finding series of individual single-toxicant exposures, a second series was carried out using select concentrations in binary mixture exposures (using 5.8 or 22 μg/L for Cd; 0.44 or 1.07 μg/L for B[a]P). Our results demonstrated that tissue accumulation of both toxicants increased significantly in the presence of the second toxicant relative to single-toxicant exposures. Cd-only and B[a]P-only single toxicant exposures caused a significant downregulation of cytochrome p4501a (CYP1A1) and metallothionein-2 (MT2) mRNA in the gills, respectively, however binary co-exposures using both toxicants resulted in strong up-regulation of CYP1A1 and MT2. Additionally, co-exposures caused a strong induction of SOD1 and CAT mRNA transcript levels in the gill. The observed increase in body burden and transcript modulation did not translate into additive or more-than-additive toxic effects (oxidative stress) in zebrafish.

DNA oxidation and DNA repair in gills of zebra mussels exposed to cadmium and benzo(a)pyrene

Freshwater bivalve molluscs are considered as effective indicators of environmental pollution. The comet assay allows the detection of DNA damage such as DNA strand breaks and alkali-labile sites. The main oxidative lesion, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), which is a pre-mutagenic lesion, can be detected by the comet assay coupled with the hOGG1 DNA repair enzyme. With this modified assay we recently observed that BaP induced 8-oxodG lesions and with the modified comet-Fpg assay we observed that Cd induced oxidative DNA damage. The aim of this study was to determine the stability of DNA lesions in Cd and BaP exposed zebra mussels using the comet-hOGG1 assay. Mussels were exposed for 24 h to these two chemicals and then placed in clean water for 6 days. We observed that BaP (7, 12 and 18 µg/L) induced an increase of DNA strand break levels as soon as 6 h of exposure and that the two highest concentrations of BaP induced a low level of hOGG1-sensitive sites. After 2 days of depuration, BaP induced DNA lesions returned to the basal level, indicating an effective DNA repair. Cd (3, 32 and 81 µg/L) induced an increase of the DNA strand break levels and a low level of hOGG1-sensitive sites. This study revealed that BaP-induced DNA lesions are repaired more efficiently than Cd-induced DNA lesions. As the level of hOGG1 sensitive sites was increased in Cd and BaP exposed mussels, it seems that these chemicals induce 8-oxo-dG.

Cyclo(phenylalanine-proline) induces DNA damage in mammalian cells via reactive oxygen species

Cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) is produced by various organisms such as animals, plants, bacteria and fungi. It has diverse biological functions including anti‐fungal activity, anti‐bacterial activity and molecular signalling. However, a few studies have demonstrated the effect of cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) on the mammalian cellular processes, such as cell growth and apoptosis. In this study, we investigated whether cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) affects cellular responses associated with DNA damage in mammalian cells. We found that treatment of 1 mM cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) induces phosphorylation of H2AX (S139) through ATM‐CHK2 activation as well as DNA double strand breaks. Gene expression analysis revealed that a subset of genes related to regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and production is suppressed by the cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) treatment. We also found that cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) treatment induces perturbation of the mitochondrial membrane, resulting in increased ROS, especially superoxide, production. Collectively, our study suggests that cyclo(phenylalanine‐proline) treatment induces DNA damage via elevation of ROS in mammalian cells. Our findings may help explain the mechanism underlying the bacterial infection‐induced activation of DNA damage response in host mammalian cells.

Bioaccumulation, morphological changes, and induction of metallothionein gene expression in the digestive system of the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense after exposure to cadmium

To study the responses of digestive system of the freshwater crab Sinopotamon henanense to the exposure with cadmium (Cd), crabs were acutely exposed to 7.25, 14.50, and 29.00 mg/l Cd for 96 h and subchronically exposed to 0.725, 1.450, and 2.900 mg/l for 21 days. Cd bioaccumulation in the hepatopancreas and digestive tract (esophagus and intestine) was examined. Furthermore, histopathological alterations of the esophagus, midgut, hindgut, and hepatopancreas were assessed in animals from the 29.0 and 2.90 mg/l Cd treatment groups, and expression of metallothionein messenger RNA (MT mRNA) in the hepatopancreas and intestine was measured in all treatment groups. The results showed difference in the middle and high concentrations between acute and subchronic treatment groups. Cd content in digestive tract after acute 14.5 and 29.0 mg/l Cd exposure was significantly higher than that at subchronic 1.45 and 2.90 mg/l exposure, but Cd levels in hepatopancreas were not significantly different under the same condition. Acute exposure to Cd induced greater morphological damage than subchronic exposure: large areas of epithelial cells were necrotic in hepatopancreas and midgut, which detached from the basal lamina. Vacuolated muscle cells were observed in the hindgut of animals from the acute exposure group, but the changes of esophageal morphology were not obvious after acute or subchronic treatments. The expression of MT mRNA increased with increasing Cd concentration, and MT mRNA level in acute exposure groups was significantly lower when compared to the subchronic exposure groups. Higher Cd content and lower MT mRNA expression in the acutely exposed groups may be responsible for more severe damage of digestive system in these exposure groups.

Metallothioneins and heat shock proteins 70 in Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda, Oniscidea) exposed to cadmium and lead

The heavy metals bioaccumulation capability in Armadillidium vulgare feeded with chestnut leaves contaminated with various sublethal concentrations of Cd and Pb, was evaluated under laboratory conditions. The metal concentration found in the hepatopancreas of treated animals, as measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), affected the expression and localization of MT and HSP70 as shown by immunohistochemical and western blotting analysis. The Cd content of the animals treated with the various concentrations of the metal has been always higher than that of chestnut leaves contaminated. The accumulation of Pb was, instead, always modest compared to the content of the chestnut leaves. The immunohistochemical investigation in hepatopancreas tissue of animals treated with increasing concentrations of Cd and Pb, by using the anti-MT and anti-HSP70 antibodies, has provided a response clearly positive even if differentiated in relation to the metal and concentration tested. In particular, a positive response to anti-MT antibody was detected in B and S cells nuclei and S cells cytoplasm; the localization of HSP70 was particularly intense at the cell surface. Western blotting analysis showed significant up-regulation of the expression (about 2.6 fold) of HSP70 proteins in the hepatopancreas of animals exposed to highest Pb concentrations respect to control. Moreover, samples exposed to higher Cd and Pb concentrations showed a higher expression of MT (3.2 fold and 4 fold respectively) compared to control. In summary, our data beyond to clearly demonstrate for the first time the expression of MT in terrestrial isopods, suggest that A. vulgare would be a suitable organism for assessing Cd and Pb exposure in environments threatened by metal pollution as suggested by the modulation of the biomarkers MT and HSP70.