title: Metal bioaccumulation, genotoxicity and gene expression in the European wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) inhabiting an abandoned uranium mining area.
abstract: Genotoxic effects caused by the exposure to wastes containing metals and radionuclides were investigated in the European wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). The animals were captured in the surroundings of an abandoned uranium mining site. DNA damage was assessed by comet assay; gene expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed, respectively, by Real-Time PCR and melt curve analysis. The bioaccumulation of metals in the liver, kidney and bones was also determined to help clarify cause-effect relationships. Results confirmed the bioaccumulation of cadmium and uranium in organisms exposed to uranium mining wastes. P53 gene was found to be significantly up-regulated in the liver of those organisms and SNPs in the Rb gene were also detected in the kidney. Our results showed that uranium mining wastes caused serious DNA damage resulting in genomic instability, disclosed by the significant increase in DNA strand breaks and P53 gene expression disturbance. These effects can have severe consequences, since they may contribute for the emergence of serious genetic diseases. The fact that mice are often used as bioindicator species for the evaluation of risks of environmental exposure to humans, raises concerns on the risks for human populations living near uranium mining areas.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. joanalourenco@ua.pt
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Sónia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mendo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism; D020552:Comet Assay; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000378:metabolism*; D008906:Mining; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051189:Murinae; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014501:Uranium / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D008670:Metals; D014501:Uranium