Exploring immune responses of Parhyale hawaiensis exposed to environmental contaminants

• Grant number: 25/00020-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Biological Oceanography
• Principal Investigator: Gisela de Aragão Umbuzeiro
• Grantee: Natália Oliveira de Farias
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Tecnologia (FT). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Limeira , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/10693-5 - Expanding Parhyale hawaiensis as a model in ecotoxicology: from the lab to the field, AP.R

Abstract

The immune system of aquatic organisms can be affected by the presence of different chemicals in waterbodies, increasing susceptibility to infections and reducing the ability to adapt to environmental stress. It is urgent to understand the mechanisms of action involved in the immune response of aquatic organisms exposed to these compounds and the impact of this on the stability of aquatic ecosystems. Many of these compounds are known to have long half-lives, recalcitrant nature and bioaccumulative properties. Among them, nanoplastics (NPs) and perfluoroalkylated compounds (PFAS) stand out, which have aroused great environmental concern due to their persistence, ubiquity and potential to cause immunomodulatory effects in aquatic biota. Parhyale hawaiensis is an amphipod commonly used in evolution-development (EVO/DEVO) and ecotoxicological studies. We have prior knowledge of the characterization of P. hawaiensis hemocytes and their phagocytic activity, and this species has a sequenced genome with important signaling pathways already noted. The objective of this work is to develop and implement an integrated platform for the assessment of immunotoxicity, using the marine crustacean Parhyale hawaiensis as an animal model. As a proof-of-concept, we will evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NP) and PFOS. A comprehensive battery of immunotoxicity assays will be developed, encompassing physiological, cellular, and molecular endpoints. These assays will include total hemocyte count (THC), assessment of lysosomal membrane stability through the neutral red assay, and evaluation of immune response mechanisms via gene expression analysis. We believe that we can contribute to the understanding of immunomodulatory effects induced by emerging compounds, establishing P. hawaiensis as a robust model organism in the immunotoxicology field.