Response of the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera to cadmium and chromium: Identification of molecular biomarkers

Yannick Gueguen (1, 2) , Denis Saulnier (2) , Adrien Santini (2) , Kevin Magré (2) , Pierre Garen (2) , Solène Bernagout (3) , Marine Nohl (3) , Patrick Bouisset (3) , Herehia Helme (3) , Serge Planes (4) , Gilles Le Moullac (2)

1 IHPE - Interactions Hôtes-Pathogènes-Environnements
2 EIO - Ecosystèmes Insulaires Océaniens (UMR 241)
3 IRSN/PSE-ENV/SEREN/LESE - Laboratoire d'étude et de suivi de l'environnement
4 LabEX CORAIL - Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL

This study was designed to identify in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera, used as a bio-accumulator, molecular biomarkers for the presence of heavy metals in the lagoon environment. Pearl oysters were exposed to 2 concentrations (1 and 10 μg L− 1) of cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) compared to a control. Twelve target genes encoding proteins potentially involved in the response to heavy metal contamination with antioxidant, detoxification or apoptosis activities were selected. P. margaritifera accumulated Cd but not Cr, and mortality was related to the amount of Cd accumulated in tissues. In response to Cd-Cr contamination, metallothionein (MT) was significantly up-regulated by Cd-Cr at both concentrations, while 7 others (SOD, CAT, GPX, GSTO, GSTM, CASP, MDR) were down-regulated. Based on the development of these molecular tools, we propose that the pearl oyster, P. margaritifera, could be used as a sentinel species for heavy metal contamination in the lagoons of tropical ecosystems.

Mots clés: Pinctada margaritifera; French Polynesia; Cadmium; Chromium; Gene expression; Metallothionein

Domaines: Ecotoxicologie; Zoologie des invertébrés

Yannick Gueguen, Denis Saulnier, Adrien Santini, Kevin Magré, Pierre Garen, et al.. Response of the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera to cadmium and chromium: Identification of molecular biomarkers. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2017, 118 (1-2), pp.420-426. ⟨10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.03.012⟩. ⟨hal-01526382⟩