Genetic polymorphism and its potential relation to environmental stress in five populations of the European flounder Platichthys flesus, along the French Atlantic coast

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 70; no. 2; pp. 201 - 209
• Main Authors: Marchand, J., Evrard, E., Guinand, B., Cachot, J., Quiniou, L., Laroche, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2010; Elsevier; Elsevier science
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Atlantic Ocean; Betaine-Homocysteine S-Methyltransferase - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Brackish; Coastal environments; Contamination; Creatine Kinase - genetics; Environmental Monitoring; Estuaries; Flounder; Flounder - genetics; Flounder - growth & development; France; Fresh water ecosystems; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene; Gene Frequency; Genes; Genetics; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases - genetics; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases - genetics; Kinases; Lipocalins - genetics; Marine; Markers; PCR-SSCP; Platichthys flesus; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Populations; Sea water ecosystems; Selection; Stress, Physiological; Stresses; Synecology; Europe; France; Atlantic Ocean; ANE, France, Brittany, Vilaine Estuary; ANE, France, Gironde Estuary; France, Auvergne, Loire R; Gene; PCR-SSCP; Selection; Flounder; Contamination; Polymorphism; Platichthys flesus; Stress; Freshwater environment; Marine environment; Polymerase chain reaction; Vertebrata; Pisces; Atlantic Façade; Environment; Genetics; flounder; polymorphism; selection; gene; contamination
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2010.05.002

In this study, new DNA markers were explored for the flounder Platichthys flesus. cDNA and genomic sequences of the genes encoding the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-deshydrogenase (GAPDH), the cytosolic creatine kinase (CK), the prostaglandin D synthase (PGDS) and the betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) were characterized. The tumour suppressor p53 gene structure was already described. A PCR–SSCP ( Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism) analysis was finally conducted to study the genetic polymorphism of different populations of flounders collected along the French Atlantic coast. Four highly contaminated French estuaries (Seine, Vilaine, Loire and Gironde) were sampled and compared to a reference estuary (Ster) to explore possible selective effect of the environment on specific allelic frequencies. Our results showed that two loci p53 and PGDS, could be potential markers of chemical stress: p53A allele frequency increased in contaminated systems compared to the reference system. In the Vilaine estuary, PGDS polymorphism could be related to pesticide stress.