Proteomics as a route to identification of toxicity targets in environmental toxicology

Abstract

Ecotoxicology describes a three-way relationship between ecosystems, chemical pollutants and living organisms. It is predicated on the fact that chemical pollution can exert toxic effects on organisms at the individual and population levels. These toxic effects may provide important information to supplement chemical analysis of environmental samples and aid in assessing the environmental quality of specific ecosystems. Traditionally, effects have been detected by means of biomarkers which, of necessity, were often molecules or processes known to be affected by pollutants. Proteomics provides a means of achieving high-throughput analysis of effects on protein populations and sub-populations with the potential to identify novel biomarkers. This review summarises the main approaches currently used in this area and assesses the potential of proteomics for identification of novel toxicity targets.

Review of the reproductive biology of amphipods and their endocrine regulation: Identification of mechanistic pathways for reproductive toxicants

“…The use of proteomics to detect the effects of contaminants on physiological mechanisms is a relatively new and sensitive approach that can assist in understanding the impacts of xenobiotics on aquatic organisms [132][133][134]. Proteomics has much to offer even in species used in ecotoxicological studies that are poorly represented in sequence databases.…”

Genomic Profiling of MicroRNAs and Proteomics Reveals an Early Molecular Alteration Associated with Tumorigenesis Induced by MC-LR in Mice

“…Proteomics now has obvious applications to environmental toxicology as it has the potential both to identify previously unknown protein biomarkers and to gain insights into toxicity mechanisms or related diseases. 38 Among these aberrant proteins, several ones associated with liver tumorigenesis were first found to be affected by MC-LR in mouse liver. TGM2 is a ubiquitously expressed protein capable of catalyzing protein/protein cross-linking.…”

Review of recent proteomic applications in aquatic toxicology

“…The lack of robust and searchable speciesspecific sequence information, however, requires the employment of broader search categories (e.g., Actinopterygii, rayfinned fish), consequently reducing the likelihood and certainty of true protein identification. Dowling and Sheehan [16] argue that organisms underrepresented in sequence databases should be exploited, and suggest that de novo sequencing approaches should be utilized to circumvent these limitations. Because it is recognized that there are discernable differences in the approaches, tools, and interpretation of proteomic data derived from model and non-model species of fish, the following sections will address them separately.…”

“…Within this period, also a number of published review articles have highlighted proteomic applications in ecotoxicogenomics. Snape et al [1], and Wetmore and Merrick [2], provided two of the earliest and most comprehensive reviews which set the framework for proteomics research in ecotoxicology; synthesis papers [3,[12][13][14] and book chapters [15], as well as excellent technical and methodological reviews [16,17] have followed. This review synthesizes the recent proteomic literature in the field of aquatic toxicology and focuses on studies centered on model and non-model vertebrate (fish) ( Table 1) and invertebrate (Table 2) species.…”