An estrogen-responsive plasma protein expression signature in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) revealed by SELDI-TOF MS

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
• Main Authors: Nielsen, Mari Mæland, Meyer, Sonnich, Larsen, Bodil Katrine, Andersen, Odd Ketil, Hjelle, Anne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: atlantic cod; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/db8e164e-3e78-4f9c-ad4f-5237d0fef1af; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2011.07.036

Compound-specific protein expression signatures( PESs) can be revealed by proteomic techniques. The SELDI-TOF MS approach is advantageous due to its simplicity and high-throughput capacity,however, there are concerns regarding the reproducibility of this method. The aim of this study was to define an estrogen-responsive PES in plasma of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) using the SELDI-TOF MS technique. Protein expression analysis of male cod exposed to 17 b-estradiol (E2) showed that 27 plasma peaks were differentially expressed following exposure.There producibility of this result was evaluated by reanalyzing the samples six months later,and a significant change in expression was confirmed for 13 of the 27 peaks detected in the first analysis. The performance of the reproducible E2-responsive PES, constituting these 13 peaks, was then tested on samples from juvenile cod exposed to 4-nonylphenol, North Sea oil, or North Sea oil spiked with alkylphenols. Principal component analysis revealed that nonylphenol-exposed cod could be separated from unexposed cod based on the E2-responsive PES, indicating that the PES can be used to assess estrogenic exposure of both juvenile and adult specimens of cod. A targeted antibody-assisted SELDI-TOF MS approach was carried out in an attempt to identify the E2-responsive peaks. Results indicated that 2 peaks were fragments of the well-known biomarkers VTG and/or ZRP. In this study, the SELDI-TOF MS technology has shown its potential for defining compound-specific PESs in fish. Nevertheless, thorough validtion of reproducibility, specificity and sensitivity of a PESis required before it can be applied in environmental monitoring.