Wang Yuyu, Wang Dazhi, Lin Lin, Wang Minghua
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Center for Environmental Health Research, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou 510655, China.
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Chemosphere. 2015 Jan;119:1126-1133. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.053. Epub 2014 Oct 15.
Mercury is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant which exerts neurotoxicity upon animals. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms involved in inorganic mercury neurotoxicity are unknown. We investigated protein profiles of marine medaka, chronically exposed to mercuric chloride using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-TOF MS) analysis. The mercury accumulation and ultrastructure were also examined in the brain. The results showed that mercury was significantly accumulated in the treated brain, and subsequently caused a noticeable damage. The comparison of 2D-DIGE protein profiles between the control and treatment revealed that 16 protein spots were remarkably altered in abundance, which were further submitted for MALDI-TOF-TOF MS analysis. The identified proteins indicated that inorganic mercury may cause neurotoxicity through the induction of oxidative stress, cytoskeletal assembly dysfunction and metabolic disorders. Thus, this study provided a basis for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in mercury neurotoxicity.
汞是一种普遍存在的环境污染物，会对动物产生神经毒性。然而，无机汞神经毒性所涉及的分子机制尚不清楚。我们使用二维差异凝胶电泳（2D-DIGE）和基质辅助激光解吸/电离串联飞行时间质谱（MALDI-TOF-TOF MS）分析，研究了长期暴露于氯化汞的海洋青鳉的蛋白质谱。同时还检测了大脑中的汞积累和超微结构。结果表明，汞在处理后的大脑中显著积累，随后造成了明显的损伤。对照和处理组之间的2D-DIGE蛋白质谱比较显示，有16个蛋白质斑点的丰度发生了显著变化，这些斑点进一步提交进行MALDI-TOF-TOF MS分析。鉴定出的蛋白质表明，无机汞可能通过诱导氧化应激、细胞骨架组装功能障碍和代谢紊乱而导致神经毒性。因此，本研究为更好地理解汞神经毒性所涉及的分子机制提供了依据。
