Identification of protein biomarkers of mercury toxicity in fish

Author(s)

Souza Vieira, Jose Cavalcante ^[1] ; Braga, Camila Pereira ^[2] ; de Oliveira, Grasieli ^[1] ; Leite, Aline de Lima ^[3] ; de Queiroz, Joao Vitor ^[4] ; Cavecci, Bruna ^[1] ; Bittarello, Alis Correia ^[4] ; Rabelo Buzalaf, Marilia Afonso ^[3] ; Zara, Luiz Fabricio ^[5] ; Padilha, Pedro de Magalhaes ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Paulo State Univ UNESP, Inst Biosci, BR-18618970 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE - USA

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Bauru - Brazil

^[4] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Sch Vet Med & Anim Sci, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Brasilia UnB, Coll Planaltina, Brasilia, DF - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS; v. 15, n. 4, p. 717-724, DEC 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 8

Abstract

Bioaccumulative metals such as mercury are found in increasing amounts in fish and their consumers. In the region of the Madeira River, in the Brazilian Amazon, mercury (Hg) is a predominant contaminant in the aquatic ecosystem. There is therefore a need to find specific biomarkers of mercury toxicity in fish to monitor contaminations. Here, mercury-bound proteins were identified in the liver tissues of fishes Mylossoma duriventre and Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii. Mercury was quantified in liver tissue, pellets and protein spots by graphite furnace atomic absorption. Proteins were fractionated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified by mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization. We identified nine proteins linked to mercury and that presented biomarker characteristics of mercury. Among the proteins identified, isoforms of parvalbumin, ubiquitin-40S ribosomal protein S27a, brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1-associated protein 2-like protein 2 and betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase 1 are notable for having the molecular function of binding to metallic ions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/21297-1 - Metallothioneins in fish from Amazon Region: metallomic study associated to mercury
• Grantee: Pedro de Magalhães Padilha
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 14/02668-1 - Utilization of metalloproteomic strategies for metallothionein evaluation in liver tissue samples of fishes collected in the reservoir of Ahe Jirau - Madeira River Basin, RO, Brazil
• Grantee: José Cavalcante Souza Vieira
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate