University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, Gründenstrasse 40, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland.
Aquat Toxicol. 2011 Oct;105(3-4 Suppl):25-39. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.06.008. Epub 2011 Jun 13.
In the last decade, new technologies have been invented to analyze large amounts of information such as gene transcripts (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics) and small cellular molecules (metabolomics). Many studies have been performed in the last few years applying these technologies to aquatic toxicology, mainly in fish. In this article, we summarize the current state of knowledge and question whether the application of modern technology for descriptive purposes truly represents scientific advancement in aquatic toxicology. We critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies and emphasize the importance of these critical aspects. To date, these techniques have been used mainly as a proof of principle, demonstrating effects of model compounds. The potential to use these techniques to better analyze the mode-of-action of a toxicant or the effects of a compound within organisms has rarely been met. This is partly due to a lack of baseline data and the fact that the expression of mRNA and protein profiles is rarely linked to physiology or toxicologically meaningful outcomes. It seems premature to analyze mixtures or environmental samples until more is known about the expression profiles of individual toxicants. Gene transcription, protein, or metabolic data give only a partial view of these effects. Thus, we emphasize that data obtained by these technologies must be linked to physiological changes to fully understand their significance. The use of these techniques in aquatic toxicology is still in its infancy, data cannot yet be applied to environmental risk assessment or regulation until more emphasis is placed on interpreting the data within their physiological and toxicological contexts.
在过去的十年中，已经发明了新技术来分析大量的信息，如基因转录本（转录组学）、蛋白质（蛋白质组学）和小细胞分子（代谢组学）。在过去的几年中，已经有许多研究应用这些技术进行水生毒理学研究，主要是在鱼类中。在本文中，我们总结了目前的知识状况，并质疑现代技术的应用是否真的代表了水生毒理学的科学进步。我们批判性地讨论了这些技术的优缺点，并强调了这些关键方面的重要性。迄今为止，这些技术主要被用作原理的证明，证明了模型化合物的作用。这些技术很少有潜力用于更好地分析毒物的作用模式或化合物在生物体中的作用，这在一定程度上是由于缺乏基线数据，以及 mRNA 和蛋白质谱的表达很少与生理学或具有毒理学意义的结果相关联。在更多地了解单个毒物的表达谱之前，似乎还不适于分析混合物或环境样本。基因转录、蛋白质或代谢数据只能提供这些效应的部分视图。因此，我们强调，这些技术获得的数据必须与生理变化联系起来，才能充分理解其意义。这些技术在水生毒理学中的应用还处于起步阶段，在更多地强调在生理和毒理背景下解释数据之前，数据还不能应用于环境风险评估或法规。
