Metallothionein response following cadmium exposure in the oligochaete Eisenia fetida |
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Authors: | Demuynck Sylvain Grumiaux Fabien Mottier Violaine Schikorski David Lemière Sébastien Leprêtre Alain |
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Institution: | Laboratoire d'Ecologie Numérique et d'Ecotoxicologie, UPRES EA 3570, FR 1818 CNRS, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France. sylvain.demuynck@univ-lille1.fr |
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Abstract: | We studied the metallothionein (MT) response in cadmium-exposed worms (Eisenia fetida) both at the protein level by Dot Immunobinding Assay (DIA) with a polyclonal antibody raised against the most immunogenic part of this protein and at the expression level by Northern blotting using a specific probe. MT appeared as two close isoforms. DIA results clearly demonstrated significant differences in MT level of whole worm heat-treated supernatants between E. fetida exposed to Cd concentrations as low as 8 mg Cd kg(-1) of dry soil compared to controls. Northern blotting analysis performed on whole bodies of worms revealed that a single exposure to 8 mg Cd kg(-1) of dry soil for 1 day resulted in the production of MT mRNA. This response was maintained for exposure of at least 1 month. Clear differences of MT gene expression were also observed between worms exposed to different Cd concentrations (8, 80 or 800 mg Cd kg(-1) of dry soil). Immunocytochemistry demonstrated that MT was located in the chloragogenous tissue surrounding the gut where metals are known to be accumulated. This work revealed that E. fetida MT is a sensitive and relevant biomarker of Cd exposure and especially when considering gene expression response. Further experiments have now to prove its usefulness in natural metal-contaminated soil toxicity assessments. |
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