Global gene expression profiling using heterologous DNA microarrays to analyze alterations in the transcriptome of Mus spretus mice living in a heavily polluted environment

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 23; no. 6; pp. 5853 - 5867
• Main Authors: Ruiz-Laguna, Julia, Vélez, José M, Pueyo, Carmen, Abril, Nieves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: adaptive immunity; Animals; Animals, Wild; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biological effects; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - metabolism; DNA microarrays; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental conditions; environmental factors; Environmental Health; Environmental monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Pollution; Environmental science; Estuaries; fatty liver; Gene expression; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; genes; Genomes; hepatocytes; Hepatocytes - metabolism; inflammation; Lipids; liver; Liver - metabolism; Metabolism; Mice; microarray technology; Mus musculus; Mus spretus; Native peoples; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; oligonucleotides; Organisms; Pollution; protein synthesis; Research Article; Spain; streams; Studies; Transcriptome; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Spain; ANE, Spain, Andalucia, Huelva, Huelva Estuary; Biomonitoring; Environmental pollution; Transcriptomics; Heterologous microarray; Mus spretus
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5824-5

Microarray platforms are a good approach for assessing biological responses to pollution as they enable the simultaneous analyses of changes in the expression of thousands of genes. As an omic and non-targeted methodology, this technique is open to unforeseen responses under particular environmental conditions. In this study, we successfully apply a commercial oligonucleotide microarray containing Mus musculus whole-genome probes to compare and assess the biological effects of living in a heavily polluted settlement, the Domingo Rubio stream (DRS), at the Huelva Estuary (SW Spain), on inhabitant free-living Mus spretus mice. Our microarray results show that mice living in DRS suffer dramatic changes in gene and protein expression compared with reference specimens. DRS mice showed alteration in the oxidative status of hepatocytes, with activation of both the innate and the acquired immune responses and the induction of chronic inflammation, accompanied by metabolic alterations that imply the accumulation of lipids in the liver (hepatic steatosis). The identified deregulated genes may be useful as biomarkers of environmental pollution.