Application of NMR-based metabolomics for environmental assessment in the Great Lakes using zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

Abstract

Zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, in the Great Lakes is being monitored as a bio-indicator organism for environmental health effects by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mussel Watch program. In order to monitor the environmental effects of industrial pollution on the ecosystem, invasive zebra mussels were collected from four stations—three inner harbor sites (LMMB4, LMMB1, and LMMB) in Milwaukee Estuary, and one reference site (LMMB5) in Lake Michigan, Wisconsin. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics was used to evaluate the metabolic profiles of the mussels from these four sites. The objective was to observe whether there were differences in metabolite profiles between impacted sites and the reference site; and if there were metabolic profile differences among the impacted sites. Principal component analyses indicated there was no significant difference between two impacted sites: north Milwaukee harbor (LMMB and LMMB4) and the LMMB5 reference site. However, significant metabolic differences were observed between the impacted site on the south Milwaukee harbor (LMMB1) and the LMMB5 reference site, a finding that correlates with preliminary sediment toxicity results. A total of 26 altered metabolites (including two unidentified peaks) were successfully identified in a comparison of zebra mussels from the LMMB1 site and LMMB5 reference site. The application of both uni- and multivariate analysis not only confirmed the variability of altered metabolites but also ensured that these metabolites were identified via unbiased analysis. This study has demonstrated the feasibility of the NMR-based metabolomics approach to assess whole-body metabolomics of zebra mussels to study the physiological impact of toxicant exposure at field sites. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11306-015-0789-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Showcasing metabolomic applications in aquaculture: a review

“…, ); detecting freshwater locations which have multicontaminant sediment loadings (Watanabe et al . ); identifying new and highly sensitive bioindicator species of clams for monitoring environmental contamination (Ji et al . ); and developing non‐invasive methods for pollution assessment by profiling metabolites in the excreted mucus of fish skin (Ekman et al .…”

“…Using fish and shellfish, metabolomics is progressively being used to characterize mechanisms of toxicity and to develop novel methods to assess environmental contamination. For example, metabolomics-based studies have proven useful for: identifying physiological responses of various molluscs to agricultural runoff, heavy metals and endocrine disruptors Hanana et al 2014;Ji et al 2014Ji et al , 2015aJi et al ,b, 2016Leonard et al 2014;Zhou et al 2014;Campillo et al 2015;Song et al 2016); characterizing the consequence of pesticide exposure in carp (Kokushi et al 2015); assessing the effects of petrochemical contamination at industrialized sites harbouring caged mussels (Fasulo et al 2012;Cappello et al 2013Cappello et al , 2015; detecting freshwater locations which have multicontaminant sediment loadings (Watanabe et al 2015); identifying new and highly sensitive bioindicator species of clams for monitoring environmental contamination (Ji et al 2015c); and developing noninvasive methods for pollution assessment by profiling metabolites in the excreted mucus of fish skin (Ekman et al 2015). The results of these studies clearly demonstrate promising applications.…”

Biomarkers of oxidatively induced DNA damage in dreissenid mussels: A genotoxicity assessment tool for the Laurentian Great Lakes

“…Dreissenid mussels are useful monitoring organisms because they usually dwell in large numbers and are well adapted to naturally stressful environments . Dreissenid mussels in the Great Lakes have been used to monitor chemical contaminant levels for over two decades by the NOAA MWP and in recent years for mussel health assessment . Here, we report on oxidatively induced DNA damage in dreissenid mussels ( Dreissena polymorpha ; zebra) collected from the harbor of the Ashtabula River and compare with mussels collected from a reference location in Lake Erie.…”

Metabolomic Profiles of a Midge (Procladius villosimanus, Kieffer) Are Associated with Sediment Contamination in Urban Wetlands

“…To control for this variation, environmental metabolomic investigations have primarily been based on laboratory exposures of either lab or field-bred organisms [ 4 , 13 , 15 , 16 ] or field exposures of laboratory bred or translocated organisms [ 2 , 11 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Few studies exist on assessing metabolomic changes in resident organisms under field exposures [ 21 , 22 ]. Metabolomic studies in aquatic organisms have focused on water exposures, with only a few considering the influence of sediment exposure [ 23 ] and metabolism of sediment microbiota has also been investigated [ 12 ].…”