title: Chemosensory mediated behaviors and gene transcription profiles in wild yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from metal contaminated lakes.
abstract: The olfactory system of fish is sensitive to the toxic effects of low concentrations of contaminants. To investigate the effects of long-term metal exposure on olfaction in wild yellow perch (Perca flavescens), fish from one clean (Geneva Lake) and two metal-contaminated lakes (Ramsey and Hannah lakes) were collected in and around the metal-mining district of Sudbury, ON. Two different techniques were used to measure the effects of exposure to environmental contamination: (i) behavioral responses were recorded in response to conspecific skin extract and (ii) gene transcription differences in olfactory rosettes were characterized using a novel, 1000-candidate gene yellow perch microarray. Behavioral assays performed on fish from the clean lake demonstrated avoidance of a conspecific skin extract, while fish from metal contaminated lakes showed no avoidance response. A total of 109 out of the 1000 genes were differentially transcribed among the lakes. Most of the differentially transcribed genes were between the two metal contaminated lakes relative to either of the contaminated lakes and the reference lake. No genes were differentially expressed between Geneva Lake (clean) and Hannah Lake (metal contaminated). These results demonstrated that even though the different populations of fish from both Hannah and Ramey lakes were affected at the behavioral level, the impairment of olfaction was not measurable using gene transcriptional changes in olfactory rosettes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azizishirazi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1K 3M4.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Dew
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre INRS Eau Terre et Environnement, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, Québec, Canada G1K 9A9.
authors.forename: Berenice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bougas
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dashtban
authors.affiliation: Département de biologie, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, Québec ,Canada G1V 0A6.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernatchez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1K 3M4. Electronic address: gregory.pyle@uleth.ca.
authors.forename: Greg G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Pyle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D060106:Lakes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008670:Metals / Q000633:toxicity*; D010471:Perches / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D040081:Protein Array Analysis; D012903:Smell / Q000187:drug effects; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Behavioral deficits; Gene transcription; Microarray; Olfactory toxicity; Yellow perch