Ciguatoxins activate the Calcineurin signalling pathway in Yeasts: Potential for development of an alternative detection tool?

• Published in: Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Martin-Yken, Helene, Gironde, Camille, Derick, Sylvain, Darius, Hélène Taiana, Furger, Christophe, Laurent, Dominique, Chinain, Mireille
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés (LISBP), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Toulouse (INSA Toulouse), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Équipe Micro et nanosystèmes HyperFréquences Fluidiques (LAAS-MH2F), Laboratoire d'analyse et d'architecture des systèmes (LAAS), Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J)-Université Toulouse 1 Capitole (UT1), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Toulouse (INSA Toulouse), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J)-Université Toulouse 1 Capitole (UT1), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, LED Engineering Development, Institut Louis Malardé Papeete (ILM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Ecosystèmes Insulaires Océaniens (UMR 241) (EIO), Université de la Polynésie Française (UPF)-Institut Louis Malardé Papeete (ILM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), Pharmacochimie et Biologie pour le Développement (PHARMA-DEV), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut de Chimie de Toulouse (ICT-FR 2599), Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD Polynésie )
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: food poisoning; man; ciguatoxins; yeasts; bioassays; detection; calcineurin pathway; produit de la mer; humain; intoxication alimentaire; cytotoxicité; canal à sodium; [SDV.BIO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biotechnology; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01680541; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.12.022

International audience Ciguatoxins (CTXs) are lipid-soluble polyether compounds produced by dinoflagellates from the genus Gambierdiscus spp. typically found in tropical and subtropical zones. This endemic area is however rapidly expanding due to environmental perturbations, and both toxic Gambierdiscus spp. and ciguatoxic fishes have been recently identified in the North Atlantic Ocean (Madeira and Canary islands) and Mediterranean Sea. Ciguatoxins bind to Voltage Gated Sodium Channels on the membranes of sensory neurons, causing Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP) in humans, a disease characterized by a complex array of gastrointestinal, neurological, neuropsychological, and cardiovascular symptoms. Although CFP is the most frequently reported non bacterial food-borne poisoning worldwide, there is still no simple and quick way of detecting CTXs in contaminated samples. In the prospect to engineer rapid and easy-to-use CTXs live cells-based tests, we have studied the effects of CTXs on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a unicellular model which displays a remarkable conservation of cellular signalling pathways with higher eukaryotes. Taking advantage of this high level of conservation, yeast strains have been genetically modified to encode specific transcriptional reporters responding to CTXs exposure. These yeast strains were further exposed to different concentrations of either purified CTX or micro-algal extracts containing CTXs. Our data establish that CTXs are not cytotoxic to yeast cells even at concentrations as high as 1μM, and cause an increase in the level of free intracellular calcium in yeast cells. Concomitantly, a dose-dependent activation of the calcineurin signalling pathway is observed, as assessed by measuring the activity of specific transcriptional reporters in the engineered yeast strains. These findings offer promising prospects regarding the potential development of a yeast cells-based test that could supplement or, in some instances, replace current methods for the routine detection of ...