title: Biological effects of marine contaminated sediments on Sparus aurata juveniles.
abstract: Chemical analysis of the compounds present in sediment, although informative, often is not indicative of the downstream biological effects that these contaminants exert on resident aquatic organisms. More direct molecular methods are needed to determine if marine life is affected by exposure to sediments. In this study, we used an aquatic multi-species microarray and q-PCR to investigate the effects on gene expression in juvenile sea bream (Sparus aurata) of two contaminated sediments defined as sediment 1 and 2, respectively, from marine areas in Northern Italy. Both sediments affected gene expression as evidenced by aquatic multi-species microarray analysis and q-PCR. Exposure of S. aurata juveniles to sediment 1 and sediment 2 altered expression of genes that are biomarkers for endocrine disruption. There were differences between the effects of sediment 1 and sediment 2 on gene expression in S. aurata juveniles indicating that the chemicals in the two sediments had different physiological targets. These results suggest that the classification of sediment solely on the basis of specific chemical profiles is inadequate, and not a true indicator of its potential to cause harmful effects. Our data also indicate that integration of physiochemical analysis and bioassays for monitoring the downstream harmful effects on aquatic organisms are required to gain a complete understanding of the effects of sediment on aquatic life.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze del Mare, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ribecco
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Šášik
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hardiman
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Carnevali
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D051544:Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D047490:Retinoid X Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D021541:Sea Bream / Q000502:physiology*; D037021:Thyroid Hormone Receptors alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D029941:Fish Proteins; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D047490:Retinoid X Receptor alpha; D037021:Thyroid Hormone Receptors alpha; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008668:Metallothionein; D051544:Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A