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- Blomberg, Anders, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Establishing the barnacle Balanus improvisus as a potent invertebrate monitoring system in marine ecotoxicogenomics
- 2009
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Ingår i: SETAC Europe 19th Annual Meeting Abstract Book, Göteborg 31 May - 4 June, 2009.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There is a need for potent invertebrate systems for assessing the impacts of environmental contaminants on marine ecosystems. Balanus improvisus, a marine athropod, has a number of promising characteristics that make it a good candidate in such efforts. We have conducted sequencing of a cDNA library from the cyprid larval stage and identified several detoxification systems as well as novel B. improvisus specific genes. To investigate the toxicological gene expression response in this organism, we performed a short-term exposure experiment of the cyprid larvae to two different biofouling substances. From a natural population of B. improvisus, 300 - 1000 cyprids were treated for 23 hours with 390nM CuO or with two different concentrations (10nM or 10μM) of meditomidine. Protein expression changes were studied by 2D-PAGE analysis after DIGE labelling. For gene expression analysis by DNA miroarrays total RNA was extracted and used for cDNA and cRNA/aRNA templates. Roughly 2000 B. improvisus genes were studied represented by 3000 different probes on the arrays (each in duplicates). Candidate genes were confirmed by qPCR. A number of protein expression changes were detected on the 2D gels as a result of the different treatments. Interestingly, the response to the different treatments clearly formed distinct groups in principle component analysis. The DNA microarray analysis revealed several genes as toxicity indicators, e.g. various heat shock proteins, some proteases and factors involved in regulatory processes (transcription factors). Our data indicate that B. improvisus may serve as a tool to evaluate the impacts of marine pollution, and thus to fill the niche as an important invertebrate marine model organism for ecotoxicology and environmental genomics.
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| 2. |
- Lind, Ulrika, et al.
(författare)
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Octopamine receptors from the barnacle balanus improvisus are activated by the alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist medetomidine.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Molecular pharmacology. - : American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). - 1521-0111 .- 0026-895X. ; 78:2, s. 237-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- G protein-coupled octopamine receptors of insects and other invertebrates represent counterparts of adrenoceptors in vertebrate animals. The alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist medetomidine, which is in clinical use as a veterinary sedative agent, was discovered to inhibit the settling process of barnacles, an important step in the ontogeny of this crustacean species. Settling of barnacles onto ship hulls leads to biofouling that has many harmful practical consequences, and medetomidine is currently under development as a novel type of antifouling agent. We now report that medetomidine induces hyperactivity in the barnacle larvae to disrupt the settling process. To identify the molecular targets of medetomidine, we cloned five octopamine receptors from the barnacle Balanus improvisus. We show by phylogenetic analyses that one receptor (BiOctalpha) belongs to the alpha-adrenoceptor-like subfamily, and the other four (BiOctbeta-R1, BiOctbeta-R2, BiOctbeta-R3, and BiOctbeta-R4) belong to the beta-adrenoceptor-like octopamine receptor subfamily. Phylogenetic analyses also indicated that B. improvisus has a different repertoire of beta-adrenoceptor-like octopamine receptors than insects. When expressed in CHO cells, the cloned receptors were activated by both octopamine and medetomidine, resulting in increased intracellular cAMP or calcium levels. Tyramine activated the receptors but with much lesser potency than octopamine. A hypothesis for receptor discrimination between tyramine and octopamine was generated from a homology three-dimensional model. The characterization of B. improvisus octopamine receptors is important for a better functional understanding of these receptors in crustaceans as well as for practical applications in development of environmentally sustainable antifouling agents.
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