GENERA

Use of genomic and proteomic tools for the development of contaminant specific biomarkers for the environmental risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The use of genomic tools is rapidly increasing in ecotoxicology, and results from transcriptomic and proteomic studies of the effects of environmental pollutants are becoming more and more available. Apart from the knowledge of the mechanisms involved in toxic processes, the aim of conducting research on genomic and proteomic level is the development of contaminant specific biomarkers for the risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems able to respond at environmentally relevant low contaminant concentrations. However, even if important information is gathered on differential gene and proteome expression, the development of contaminant specific biomarkers in model organisms is still a task to be tackled. In this context, an attempt to joint efforts for the discovery and development of susceptible genes and proteins to be employed in routine environmental risk assessment is highly desirable. Several marine species from different organizational and trophic levels (the marine microalgae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Cylindritheca closterium; the copepods Tisbe battagliai, Tigriopus japonicus, and Nitokra spinipes; the estuarine amphipod Melita plumulosa; the clam, Ruditapes decussates and the cockle Cerastoderma glaucum; the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis; the oysters Crassostrea brasiliana, Crassostrea gigas and Crassostrea rhizophora; and the guppy, Poecilia vivipara) will be tested for the genomic and proteomic effects of the exposure to priority contaminants and the responses analyzed for similarities at different organizational levels with the aim to develop interspecies relevant biomarkers for environmental risk assessment of the most important contaminants, while at the same time transferring knowledge and experience by providing excellent training in cutting edge technologies between the participating institutes'

Introduzione (Teaser)

As the number of synthetic chemicals discharged into the environment continues to grow, it is important that their effects are measured. An EU-funded initiative addressed this issue developing a cheaper and simpler alternative to traditional laboratory-based tests.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

New high-throughput techniques such as transcriptomics and proteomics, and powerful bioinformatics tools, have enormous potential for investigating toxic processes at the gene and protein levels. Therefore, the field of ecotoxicology, which studies the interactions of substances harmful to the environment, has experienced an increase in the use of these techniques.

The GENERA (Use of genomic and proteomic tools for the development of contaminant specific biomarkers for the environmental risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems) project investigated the use of genomic and proteomic tools to develop specific biomarkers for the environmental risk assessment of aquatic ecosystems. Knowledge of the processes occurring at molecular and cellular levels will help scientists understand the mechanisms of actions involved in toxicity.

Researchers exposed several marine species from different levels of the food chain to a range of contaminants to determine the effect on genes and proteins. The aim was to develop contaminant-specific biomarkers that could respond to very low levels of contaminant concentrations, similar to those found in the environment.

The organisms were tested for genomic and proteomic effects following exposure to priority contaminants. The organisms' responses were assessed for similarities at different organisational levels, with the goal of developing interspecies biomarkers. These will be used for conducting environmental risk assessment for the most important contaminants.

GENERA will not only help further biomarker technology, it will also have a significant socioeconomic impact and help conserve the natural environment. The work will not only apply to food production and consumption of products from contaminated sites but also directly affect human health.