BLOOD TRANSCRIPTOMICS ANALYSIS OF FISH EXPOSED TO PERFLUORO ALKYLS SUBSTANCES: ASSESSMENT OF A NON-DESTRUCTIVE SAMPLING TECHNIQUE FOR ADVANCING AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY RESEARCH.

COLLI-DULA, REYNA CRISTINA; PARACHU MARCO, MARIA VIRGINIA; DENSLOW, NANCY D.; RODRIGUEZ-JORQUERA, IGNACIO ALEJANDRO; JAYASINGHE, B. SUMITH; TOOR, GURPAL S.; KROLL, KEVIN J; SILVA-SANCHEZ, CECILIA

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2018 p. 1441 - 1452

0013-936X

In contrast to mammals, the blood from other vertebrates such as fish contains21 nucleated red cells. Using a fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) oligonucleotide 22 microarray, we compared altered transcripts in the liver and whole blood after exposure to 23 environmentally relevant concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and a 24 mixture of seven types of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanoic acid 25 (PFOA). We used quantitative polymerase chain reactions and cell-based assays to confirm26 the main effects and found that blood responded with a greater number of altered genes than 27 the liver. The exposure to PFAS altered similar genes with central roles in a cellular pathway 28 in both tissues, including estrogen receptor α and peroxisome proliferator activator β, 29 indicating that the genes previously associated with PFAS exposure are differentially 30 expressed in blood and liver. The altered transcripts are involved with cholesterol metabolism 31 and mitochondrial function. Our data confirmed that PFAS are weak xenoestrogens and exert 32 effects on DNA integrity. Gene expression profiling from blood samples not related with the 33 immune system, including very-low-density lipoprotein, vitellogenin, estrogen receptor, and 34 thyroid hormone receptor, demonstrated that blood is a useful tissue for assessing endocrine disruption in non-mammalian 35 vertebrates. We conclude that the use of blood for non-lethal sampling in genomics studies is informative and particularly useful 36 for assessing the effects of pollution in endangered species. Lastly, using blood will reduce animal use and widen the 37 experimental design options for studying the effects of contaminant exposure on wildlife.