title: Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals proteins involved in the neurotoxicity of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma chronically exposed to inorganic mercury.
abstract: Mercury is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant which exerts neurotoxicity upon animals. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms involved in inorganic mercury neurotoxicity are unknown. We investigated protein profiles of marine medaka, chronically exposed to mercuric chloride using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF MS) analysis. The mercury accumulation and ultrastructure were also examined in the brain. The results showed that mercury was significantly accumulated in the treated brain, and subsequently caused a noticeable damage. The comparison of 2D-DIGE protein profiles between the control and treatment revealed that 16 protein spots were remarkably altered in abundance, which were further submitted for MALDI-TOF-TOF MS analysis. The identified proteins indicated that inorganic mercury may cause neurotoxicity through the induction of oxidative stress, cytoskeletal assembly dysfunction and metabolic disorders. Thus, this study provided a basis for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in mercury neurotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou 510655, China.
authors.forename: Yuyu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Dazhi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address: wmhyao2007@xmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Minghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D009990:Oryzias / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D029941:Fish Proteins; D008627:Mercuric Chloride
keywords: Inorganic mercury; Marine medaka; Neurotoxicity; Proteomics