Impact of atrazine on aneuploidy in pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas.

Aneuploidy has previously been described and studied in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, and has been shown to be negatively correlated with growth. The present study investigated the effect of atrazine on the level of aneuploidy in this species. Crassostrea gigas adults and juveniles were subjected to different concentrations of atrazine representing a peak value found in a polluted environment (46.5 nM) and a value 10 times higher (465 nM). Although atrazine did not show any effect on the oyster mortality, significant differences in aneuploidy level were observed between the different treatments (9% for the control, 16% for 46.5 nM and 20% for 465 nM atrazine). Moreover, the same levels of aneuploidy were observed at adult and juvenile stages. This is the first reported evidence for an environmental effect on aneuploidy in C. gigas. These results will be useful for the oyster aquaculture industry and management of resources. The lowest atrazine level in the current study represents realistic potential exposure, and the results suggest that studies should be made on other aquatic species at risk of exposure to atrazine in the wild. This widely used compound may be an important factor causing damage to genetic material.