title: Global gene expression profiling using heterologous DNA microarrays to analyze alterations in the transcriptome of Mus spretus mice living in a heavily polluted environment.
abstract: Microarray platforms are a good approach for assessing biological responses to pollution as they enable the simultaneous analyses of changes in the expression of thousands of genes. As an omic and non-targeted methodology, this technique is open to unforeseen responses under particular environmental conditions. In this study, we successfully apply a commercial oligonucleotide microarray containing Mus musculus whole-genome probes to compare and assess the biological effects of living in a heavily polluted settlement, the Domingo Rubio stream (DRS), at the Huelva Estuary (SW Spain), on inhabitant free-living Mus spretus mice. Our microarray results show that mice living in DRS suffer dramatic changes in gene and protein expression compared with reference specimens. DRS mice showed alteration in the oxidative status of hepatocytes, with activation of both the innate and the acquired immune responses and the induction of chronic inflammation, accompanied by metabolic alterations that imply the accumulation of lipids in the liver (hepatic steatosis). The identified deregulated genes may be useful as biomarkers of environmental pollution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3-UCO), University of Córdoba, Severo Ochoa Building, Rabanales Campus, 14071, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Laguna
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3-UCO), University of Córdoba, Severo Ochoa Building, Rabanales Campus, 14071, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Vélez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3-UCO), University of Córdoba, Severo Ochoa Building, Rabanales Campus, 14071, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pueyo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (ceiA3-UCO), University of Córdoba, Severo Ochoa Building, Rabanales Campus, 14071, Córdoba, Spain. bb1abdim@uco.es.
authors.forename: Nieves
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8248-8561
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abril
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D013030:Spain; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Biomonitoring; Environmental pollution; Heterologous microarray; Mus spretus; Transcriptomics