title: Vinclozolin alters the expression of hormonal and stress genes in the midge Chironomus riparius.
abstract: Vinclozolin is a fungicide used in agriculture that can reach aquatic ecosystems and affect the organisms living there. Its effects have been intensively studied in vertebrates, where it acts as an antiandrogen, but there is a lack of information about its mechanistic effects on invertebrates. In this work, we analyzed the response of genes related to the endocrine system, the stress response, and the detoxification mechanisms of Chironomus riparius fourth instar larvae after 24h and 48h exposures to 20 (69.9nM), 200 (699nM), and 2000μg/L (6.99μM) of Vinclozolin. Survival analysis showed that this compound has low toxicity, as it was not lethal for this organism at the concentrations used. However, this fungicide was shown to modify the transcriptional activity of the ecdysone response pathway genes EcR, E74, and Kr-h1 by increasing their mRNA levels. While no changes were observed in disembodied, a gene related with the ecdysone synthesis metabolic pathway, Cyp18A1, which is involved in the inactivation of the active form of ecdysone, was upregulated. Additionally, the expression of two genes related to other hormones, FOXO and MAPR, did not show any changes when Vinclozolin was present. The analysis of stress response genes showed significant changes in the mRNA levels of Hsp70, Hsp24, and Gp93, indicating that Vinclozolin activates the cellular stress mechanisms. Finally, the expressions of the genes Cyp4G and GstD3, which encode enzymes involved in phase I and phase II detoxification, respectively, were analyzed. It was found that their mRNA levels were altered by Vinclozolin, suggesting their involvement in the degradation of this compound. For the first time, these results show evidence that Vinclozolin can modulate gene expression, leading to possible significant endocrine alterations of the insect endocrine system. These results also offer new clues about the mode of action of this compound in invertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Biología y Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED, Senda del Rey 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aquilino
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Departamento de Medioambiente, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Ctra. La Coruña km 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Argüello
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Biología y Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED, Senda del Rey 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: jlmartinez@ccia.uned.es.
authors.forename: José-Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martínez-Guitarte
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002683:Chironomidae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000187:drug effects; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004798:Enzymes / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva; D010080:Oxazoles / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D010080:Oxazoles; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C025643:vinclozolin
keywords: Endocrine disruption; Fungicide; Midge; Stress