Transcriptomic and developmental effects of persistent organic pollutants in sentinel fishes collected near an arctic formerly used defense site
2024
Jordan-Ward, Renee | von Hippel, Frank | Sancho Santos, Maria Eugenia | Wilson, Catherine | Rodriguez Maldonado, Zyled | Dillon, Danielle | Titus, Tom | Gardell, Alison | Salamova, Amina | Postlethwait, John | Contreras, Elise | Capozzi, Staci | Panuwet, Parinya | Parrocha, Chelsea | Bremiller, Ruth | Guiguen, Yann | Gologergen, Jesse | Immingan, Tiffany | Miller, Pamela | Carpenter, David | Buck, C. Loren | Northern Arizona University [Flagstaff] | University of Arizona | Department of Medicine [University of Arizona Health Sciences] ; University of Arizona | University of Oregon [Eugene] | University of Washington [Tacoma] | Emory University [Atlanta, GA] | Indiana University [Bloomington] ; Indiana University System | University of California [Irvine] (UC Irvine) ; University of California (UC) | Laboratoire de Physiologie et Génomique des Poissons = Fish Physiology and Genomics Institute (LPGP) ; Structure Fédérative de Recherche en Biologie et Santé de Rennes (Biosit : Biologie - Santé - Innovation Technologique)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | Alaska Community Action on Toxics | University at Albany [SUNY] ; State University of New York (SUNY) | This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [grant numbers 1RO1ES019620, 2RO1ES019620, 1RO1ES032392], National Cancer Institute [grant number P30_CA023074], North Pacific Research Board, ARCS Foundation, and g2p2pop Research Coordination Network.
International audience
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]英语. Alaska contains over 600 formerly used defense (FUD) sites, many of which serve as point sources of pollution. These sites are often co-located with rural communities that depend upon traditional subsistence foods, especially lipid-rich animals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Many POPs are carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting compounds that are associated with adverse health outcomes. Therefore, elevated exposure to POPs from point sources of pollution may contribute to disproportionate incidence of disease in arctic communities. We investigated PCB concentrations and the health implications of POP exposure in sentinel fishes collected near the Northeast Cape FUD site on Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island), Alaska. Sivuqaq residents are almost exclusively Yupik and rely on subsistence foods. At the request of the Sivuqaq community, we examined differential gene expression and developmental pathologies associated with exposure to POPs originating at the Northeast Cape FUD site. We found significantly higher levels of PCBs in Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis) collected from contaminated sites downstream of the FUD site compared to fish collected from upstream reference sites. We compared transcriptomic profiles and histopathologies of these same blackfish. Blackfish from contaminated sites overexpressed genes involved in ribosomal and FoxO signaling pathways compared to blackfish from reference sites. Contaminated blackfish also had significantly fewer thyroid follicles and smaller pigmented macrophage aggregates. Conversely, we found that ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) from contaminated sites exhibited thyroid follicle hyperplasia. Despite our previous research reporting transcriptomic and endocrine differences in stickleback from contaminated vs. reference sites, we did not find significant differences in kidney or gonadal histomorphologies. Our results demonstrate that contaminants from the Northeast Cape FUD site are associated with altered gene expression and thyroid development in native fishes. These results are consistent with our prior work demonstrating disruption of the thyroid hormone axis in Sivuqaq residents.
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