A novel adhesion protein expressed by ciliated epithelium, hemocytes, and leukemia cells in soft-shell clams

Activation of transcription and retrotransposition of a novel retroelement, Steamer, in neoplastic hemocytes of the mollusk Mya arenaria

Bivalve mollusks of the North Atlantic, most prominently the soft shell clam Mya arenaria, are afflicted with an epidemic transmissible disease of the circulatory system closely resembling leukemia. The disease is characterized by a dramatic expansion of blast-like cells in the hemolymph with high mitotic index. Examination of hemolymph of diseased clams revealed high levels of reverse transcriptase activity, the hallmark of retroviruses and retroelements. By deep sequencing of RNAs from hemolymph, we identified transcripts of a novel retroelement, here named Steamer. The DNA of the element is marked by long terminal repeats and encodes a single large protein with similarity to mammalian retroviral Gag-Pol proteins. Steamer mRNA levels were specifically elevated in diseased hemocytes, and high expression was correlated with disease status. DNA copy number per genome was present at enormously high levels in diseased hemocytes, indicative of extensive reverse transcription and retrotransposition. Steamer activation in M. arenaria is an example of a catastrophic induction of genetic instability that may initiate or advance the course of leukemia.

Genotoxic effects of p,p'-DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(chlorophenyl)ethane) and its metabolites in Zebra mussel (D. polymorpha) by SCGE assay and micronucleus test

This is the first study to evaluate the potential genotoxicity of p,p'-DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(chlorophenyl)ethane) and its metabolites (p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE) in the sentinel mollusc Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). DNA damage was measured using the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay and the micronucleus test (MN test), which represent two of the more sensitive biomarkers for genotoxicity evaluation. Three different concentrations (0.1, 2, and 10 mug/L) of each compound were administered in water for 168 hr, maintaining mussels at constant laboratory conditions and collecting several specimens every 48 hr for biochemical analyses. At the same time, the bioaccumulation process and the concentration/effect relationship were checked by GC-MS/MS analyses of mussel soft tissues. The SCGE assay results showed a clear and significant (P < 0.05) relationship between DNA injuries and tested doses for all the homologues throughout the 7-day exposure period. The final DNA damage due to p,p'-DDE was almost double that of the other two homologues that showed the same toxicity pattern. The micronucleus frequency analysis confirmed the genotoxicity potential of the three homologues and p,p'-DDE showed the highest irreversible DNA damage. The capability of Zebra mussels to biotransform the administered compound in the other homologues was demonstrated by multiple regression analyses carried out between the MN frequencies and the concentrations of the different homologues in the mussel soft tissues. A greater genotoxic potential of the p,p'-DDE with respect to the other two chemicals was revealed.

Application of the comet and micronucleus assays to the detection of B[a]P genotoxicity in haemocytes of the green-lipped mussel (Perna viridis)

Green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis) were exposed to water-borne benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) at nominal concentrations of 0, 0.3, 3 and 30 microg l(-1) for up to 12 days, and both the relative levels of DNA strand breaks (assessed using an alkaline comet assay) and the proportion of micronucleus (MN) formation were monitored in mussel haemocytes at days 0, 1, 3, 6 and 12. The results of the comet assay indicated that an increase in the proportion of strand breaks occurred generally with increasing B[a]P concentration, but a significant decrease in the levels of DNA damage was observed after exposure for 12 days at all concentrations tested, suggesting that the patterns of changes in the levels of DNA strand breakage can be explained by the threshold dependent DNA repair theory. Moreover, the relatively slow development and recovery of the DNA damage response in mussel haemocytes in comparison with previous findings utilizing P. viridis hepatopancreas suggests that the response of DNA alteration upon exposure to B[a]P may be tissue-specific in this species. Monitoring the frequency of micronucleus development in mussel haemocytes indicated both dose- and time-response relationships within the exposure period. Furthermore, the levels of DNA strand breakage correlated well with the levels of micronucleus induction, suggesting a possible cause and effect relationship between the two damage types. We suggest that DNA strand breakage and micronucleus formation in mussel haemocytes can potentially be used as convenient biomarkers of exposure to genotoxicants in the marine environment.