Opportunities for Environmental Applications of Marine Biotechnology Proceedings of the October 5-6, 1999, Workshop (2000) / Chapter Skim
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Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in Marine Toxicology
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in Marine Toxicology
Pages 112-125
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From page 112... ...
The chemical nature and possible human health effects of some marine pollutants have been considered in earlier reports (Ahmed 1991~. Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 112
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From page 113... ...
Much of the current effort in toxicology is aimed at understanding, at the most fundamental level, the mechanisms underlying chemical effects, which should bring the science from a descriptive to a predictive mode. Research in marine toxicology ultimately seeks to understand, monitor, and predict the effects of contaminants.
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From page 114... ...
For example, changes in the population structure or genetic diversity of exposed populations may reveal effects of greater significance for the ecosystem than those measured in individual animals within those populations (Guttman 1994; LeBlanc 1994~. A mechanistic understanding of chemical action and species differences in susceptibility, combined with appropriate monitoring tools, will facilitate the prediction of chemical effects (including identification of the most sensitive components of the ecosystem)
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Although we focus on HAHs, the approaches described will be useful for research on other contaminants as well. Molecules and Mechanisms Achieving a mechanistic understanding of chemical effects is a primary goal of research in marine toxicology.
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In investigating toxicologically relevant genes and proteins in marine species, we can expect some surprises in comparison with existing knowledge obtained in terrestrial mammals. Recent findings arising from studies on the mechanism of dioxin toxicity in marine organisms serve as an example.
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From page 117... ...
The multiplicity of AHR forms in fish was not predicted from knowledge of mammalian AHRs, illustrating the value of comparative studies in marine organisms, even for molecules that have been well characterized in laboratory species. The diversity of enzymes and receptors involved in toxicity can be understood and to a substantial extent predicted from the evolutionary perspective gained by molecular phylogenetic analysis of genes and gene families.
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From page 118... ...
Although such studies will be restricted initially to model organisms in which extensive genome sequence data exists, this approach will become increasingly applicable and valuable with regard to marine species for which such data are not currently available. Monitoring: Biomarkers and Bioassays Analytical chemists have done a superb job of developing exquisitely sensitive methods for detecting contaminants and of applying those methods to generate large databases on contaminant concentrations in a variety of environmental matrices, including marine organisms.
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From page 119... ...
The mechanisms underlying such resistance in marine animals remain largely unknown. Predicting the Impact of Marine Pollutants Information concerning the identity and concentrations of contaminants in marine biota, along with a detailed understanding of mechanisms of toxicity and the molecular basis for species differences in sensitivity, will allow us to move toward the practical goal of predicting the
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From page 120... ...
In the context of a marine ecosystem, biomarkers of susceptibility would more likely involve species differences in protein properties that underlie differences in sensitivity. Thus, the sensitivity of marine animals might be inferred by combining information on molecular mechanisms of chemical action with data on the comparative biochemistry of proteins involved in that mechanism.
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From page 121... ...
TABLE 3. Research Needs in the Application of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology to Marine Toxicology Molecular mechanisms underlying toxic responses and species differences in sensitivity · Molecular cloning and characterization of genes/proteins involved in toxicity · Measurement of changes in gene expression on a genome scale (functional genomics)
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Mellon Foundation Endowed Fund for Innovative Research (M.E.H.~. Contribution 10114 from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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Jensen BA, Hahn ME. 1999 Molecular characterization of a cetacean aryl hydrocarbon receptor, a key protein involved in the toxicity of planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons.
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1988 Organochlorine contaminants in arctic food chains: Accumulation of specific polychlorinated biphenyls and chlordane-related compounds. Environ Sci Technol 22:1071-1079.
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1994 Catalytic and immunochemical characterization of hepatic microsomal cytochromes P450 in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
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