Metalloproteomic Strategies for Identifying Proteins as Biomarkers of Mercury Exposure in Serrasalmus rhombeus from the Amazon Region

Author(s)

de Queiroz, Joao Vitor ^[1] ; Cavecci-Mendonca, Bruna ^{[2, 3]} ; Souza Vieira, Jose Cavalcante ^[2] ; Martins, Renata Aparecida ^[1] ; de Almeida Assuncao, Andrey Savio ^[1] ; Cavallini, Nubya Goncalves ^[2] ; dos Santos, Felipe Andre ^[4] ; Padilha, Pedro de Magalhaes ^{[2, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Sch Vet Med & Anim Sci, Rua Prof R Dr Valter Mauricio Correa S-N, BR-18618681 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Inst Biosci, Rua Prof Dr Antonio Celso Wagner Zanin 250, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Venom & Venomous Anim Study Ctr CEVAP, Rua Jose Barbosa Barros 1780, BR-18610307 Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Fac Sci & Engn, R Domingos da Costa Lopes 780, BR-17602496 Tupa, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH; v. 199, n. 2 MAY 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

This manuscript describes the results of a metalloproteomic study of mercury in samples of muscle and liver tissue of the species Serrasalmus rhombeus, popularly known as black piranha and characterised as the most voracious and aggressive predator in the Brazilian Amazon. The metalloproteomic study involved using two-dimensional electrophoresis (2D PAGE) to fractionate the proteome of the muscle and liver tissue samples, along with atomic absorption spectrometry in a graphite furnace (GFAAS) to identify mercury associated with protein SPOTs and mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation (ESI-MS/MS) to characterise the mercury-binding proteins. The protein SPOTs characterised showed concentrations in the order of 156 mg kg(-1), which ranks as the highest concentrations of mercury determined so far in metalloproteomic studies involving fish species in the Amazon region. Based on FASTA sequences of proteins characterised by ESI-MS/MS, bioinformatics studies were performed that allowed identifying nine proteins with characteristics of biomarkers of mercury exposure. Of those proteins, glutathione peroxidase stands out as an enzyme of great importance in the antioxidant defence of organisms subjected to oxidative stress caused by xenobiotics. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/21297-1 - Metallothioneins in fish from Amazon Region: metallomic study associated to mercury
• Grantee: Pedro de Magalhães Padilha
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/19404-2 - Mercury toxicity biomarker characterization in fish from Basin of the Madeira River-Rondônia using metalloproteomic strategies
• Grantee: Pedro de Magalhães Padilha
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants