Expanding Parhyale hawaiensis as a model in ecotoxicology: from the lab to the field

• Grant number: 23/10693-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro
• Grantee: Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Tecnologia (FT). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Amanda dos Santos ; Marina Tenório Botelho ; Natália Oliveira de Farias ; Pedro Manuel Brôa Costa ; Vicente Gomes
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/00020-9 - Exploring immune responses of Parhyale hawaiensis exposed to environmental contaminants, BP.PD; 24/20219-1 - Initial approaches to evaluate the immunomodulation of PFOS using Parhyale hawaiensis as a model, BP.IC; 24/20276-5 - Sublethal effects of 6PPD-quinone on the immunotoxicological response and embryonic development of Parhyale hawaiensis, BP.IC

Abstract

Parhyale hawaiensis is an epibenthic amphipod that lives in shallow waters and/or intertidal regions and is globally distributed in tropical regions. This amphipod is already a model for embryogenic, genomic, regeneration, and evolutionary development studies; and more recently is being used in ecotoxicological studies. Acute and chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, early molecular biomarkers as gene expression, regeneration testing, and determination of internal concentrations of toxicants for toxicokinetics protocols have been developed. We believe that there is still room for expanding this model in lab and field studies. We aim to develop protocols to study the genotoxic effects of chemicals in germ cells to contribute as alternative models in the mutagenesis area. We are proposing to explore P. hawaiensis considering that there are already established protocols to evaluate genotoxicity and mutagenicity in somatic cells. We also plan to develop protocols of immunotoxicity studies to evaluate nanoplastics by measuring the change in the proportion of hemocyte types, considering the available knowledge about hemocyte characterization. Although P. hawaiensis occurs on the Brazilian coast, their size in the field is too small to allow hemolymph studies. Thus, in situ monitoring strategies using devices containing organisms cultivated in the lab will be studied and built. The devices will be tested in coastal areas with different levels of pollution and contaminants in the hemolymph will be evaluated. The broad contribution of this project will provide information for basic and applied studies to expand P. hawaiensis as a model, contributing to the development of marine ecotoxicology in tropical areas. (AU)