The Effects of Acute Waterborne Exposure to Sub-Lethal Concentrations of Molybdenum on the Stress Response in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss)
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THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE WATERBORNE EXPOSURE TO SUB-LETHAL CONCENTRATIONS OF MOLYBDENUM ON THE STRESS RESPONSE IN RAINBOW TROUT (ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS) by CHELSEA DAWN RICKETTS B.Sc., University of British Columbia Okanagan, 2006 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Biology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) April 2009 © Chelsea Dawn Ricketts, 2009 ABSTRACT Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential metal that is increasing in popular demand as a valuable natural resource. Exploration activity in British Columbia, which hosts over 1350 molybdenum-bearing deposits, has exploded and there are over a handful of projects that have potential to begin operations. The metal’s rapidly growing production and use represents a potential for increased release and distribution into the aquatic environment, especially in British Columbia. Although molybdenum is considered relatively non-toxic to fish, toxicity data are severely lacking and nothing is known about the effect of molybdenum on the stress response. To determine if molybdenum acts as a stressor, fingerling and juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to waterborne molybdenum (0, 2, 20, or 1000 mg/L) and components of the physiological (plasma cortisol, blood glucose, and hematocrit) and cellular [heat shock protein (HSP) 72, HSP73, HSP90, and metallothionein (MT)] stress responses were measured prior to initiation of exposure and at 8, 24, and 96 h during exposure. An ELISA revealed no alterations in plasma cortisol from any molybdenum treatment. Similarly, no changes in blood glucose, measured using a hand-held meter, or hematocrit that could be attributed to the stressor were found. Western blot analyses were used to measure the accumulation of HSPs in the liver and/or gills of fingerlings and in the liver, gills, heart, and erythrocytes of juveniles and MT in the liver of fingerlings and in the liver and gills of juveniles. HSP72 was not induced nor were there changes in HSP73, HSP90, and MT levels in any of the tissues relative to controls. Both fingerling and juvenile fish responded with similar lack of apparent sensitivity to molybdenum exposure. These experiments demonstrate, for the first time, that exposure to waterborne molybdenum of up to 1000 mg/L did not activate a physiological or cellular stress response in fish. These findings are consistent with previous studies suggesting that fish are resistant to molybdenum. Information from this study suggests that molybdenum water quality guidelines for the protection of aquatic life are highly protective of rainbow trout. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................................ii TABLE OF CONTENTS.........................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................vi LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.....................................................................................................ix DEDICATION .........................................................................................................................xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 1.1 Molybdenum.....................................................................................................................1 1.1.1 Chemistry...................................................................................................................1 1.1.2 Uses and Biological Function .....................................................................................1 1.1.3 Environmental Fate ....................................................................................................3 1.1.4 Uptake........................................................................................................................5 1.1.5 Toxicity......................................................................................................................6 1.1.6 Toxicity Specific to Freshwater Fish...........................................................................8 1.1.7 Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life.....................................10 1.2 The Stress Response in Fish ............................................................................................11 1.2.1 The Physiological Stress Response ...........................................................................11 1.2.1.1 The Hypothalamic-Pituitary Interrenal Axis.......................................................12 1.2.2 The Cellular Stress Response....................................................................................13 1.2.2.1 Heat Shock Proteins...........................................................................................14 1.2.2.2 Heat Shock Response.........................................................................................14 1.2.2.3 HSP70 ...............................................................................................................16 1.2.2.3.1 Structure .....................................................................................................17 1.2.2.3.2 Function......................................................................................................17 1.2.2.4 HSP90 ...............................................................................................................18 1.2.2.4.1 Structure .....................................................................................................18 1.2.2.4.2 Function......................................................................................................18 1.2.2.5 Metallothionein..................................................................................................19 1.2.2.5.1 Structure and Metal Binding Properties.......................................................20 1.2.2.5.2 Expression and Function.............................................................................21 1.3 Rationale for This Study..................................................................................................23 1.3.1 Why Study Molybdenum?........................................................................................23 1.3.2 Why Use Fish in Toxicity Studies?...........................................................................24 1.3.2.1 Rainbow Trout as a Test Species........................................................................25 iii 1.4 Objectives .......................................................................................................................26 CHAPTER 2: MATERIALS AND METHODS ....................................................................29 2.1 Experimental Animals.....................................................................................................29 2.2 Animal Preparations and Experimental Set-up.................................................................29 2.2.1 Cannulation of the Dorsal Aorta ...............................................................................29 2.2.2 Exposure Chambers..................................................................................................30 2.3 Waterborne Exposure to Molybdenum ............................................................................30 2.3.1 Experiment I: Time Course Molybdenum Exposure to Cannulated Juvenile Fish......31 2.3.2 Experiment II: 96 h Endpoint Molybdenum Exposure to Juvenile Fish.....................32 2.3.3 Experiment III: Time Course Molybdenum Exposure to Fingerling Fish ..................32 2.4 Analysis of Physiological Stress Response Parameters ....................................................33 2.4.1 Hematocrit................................................................................................................33 2.4.2 Blood Glucose..........................................................................................................33 2.4.3 Plasma Cortisol ........................................................................................................34 2.5 Analysis of Cellular Stress Response Parameters.............................................................35 2.5.1 Preparation of HSP70 and MT Positive Controls ......................................................35 2.5.2 Protein Isolation .......................................................................................................36 2.5.3 Protein Quantification...............................................................................................36 2.5.4 SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) ...................................................37 2.5.5 Western Blotting ......................................................................................................37 2.5.6 Primary and Secondary Antibodies...........................................................................38 2.5.7 Immunodetection of Proteins....................................................................................39 2.5.8 Enhanced