title: Using a novel "Integrated Biomarker Proteomic" index to assess the effects of freshwater pollutants in European eel peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
abstract: Using proteomic data as biomarkers of environmental pollution has the potential to be of a great interest in ecological risk assessment as they constitute early warning indicators of ecologically relevant effects on biological systems. To develop such specific and sensitive biomarkers, the use of a set of proteins is required and the identification of protein expression signatures (PES) may reflect the exposure to specific classes of pollutants. Using 2D-DIGE (Differential in Gel Electrophoresis) methodology, this study aimed at identifying specific PES on European eel (Anguilla anguilla) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after 48 h in vitro exposure to two sublethal concentrations of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT) (10 μg/L and 1mg/L) or cadmium (Cd) (1 μg/L and 100 μg/L). The present results have been supplemented with data of a first in vitro study on cells exposed to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) (10 μg/L and 1mg/L). A total of thirty-four protein spots, belonging to 18 different identified proteins found in all conditions, have been selected as possible biomarkers to develop a synthetic Integrated Biomarker Proteomic (IBP) index. IBP follows a dose-response relationship with higher values at the highest tested concentration for each pollutant (Cd: 9.96; DDT: 7.44; PFOS: 7.94) compared to the lowest tested concentration (Cd: 3.81; DDT: 2.91; PFOS: 2.06). In a second step, star plot graphs have been applied to proteomic data in order to allow visual integration of a set of early warning responses measured with protein biomarkers. Such star plots permit to discriminate the type of pollutant inducing a proteomic response. We conclude that using IBP is relevant in environmental risk assessment, giving to this index the potential to be applied as a global index of proteome alteration in endangered species such as the European eel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, 34 protein spots have been selected as possible biomarkers to develop a synthetic Integrated Biomarker Proteomic index (IBP). Results show that IBP follows a dose-response relationship with higher values at the highest tested concentration for each pollutant compared to the lowest tested concentration. Star plot graphs have also been applied to proteomic data in order to allow visual integration of a set of early warning responses measured with protein biomarkers. Such star plots permit to discriminate the type of pollutant inducing a proteomic response. IBP is relevant in environmental risk assessment, giving to this index the potential to be applied as a global index of proteome alteration in endangered species such as the European eel.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), University of Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Roland
authors.affiliation: Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), University of Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kestemont
authors.affiliation: Research Unit in Cell Biology (URBC), Narilis (Namur Research Institute for Lifesciences), University of Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dieu
authors.affiliation: Research Unit in Cell Biology (URBC), Narilis (Namur Research Institute for Lifesciences), University of Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raes
authors.affiliation: Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), University of Namur, Belgium. Electronic address: frederic.silvestre@unamur.be.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silvestre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003632:Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004524:Eels / Q000378:metabolism*; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D040901:Proteomics; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D029941:Fish Proteins; D014873:Water Pollutants; D003632:Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane
keywords: Anguilla anguilla; Biomarkers; Cd; DDT; Environmental risk assessment; Integrated Biomarker Proteomic index; Proteomics