Development of a comet-FISH assay for the detection of DNA damage in hemocytes of Crassostrea gigas (original) (raw)

Persistence of DNA Damage in the Freshwater Mussel Unio pictorum Upon Exposure to Ethyl Methanesulphonate and Hydrogen Peroxide

An important endpoint in assessing pollutionrelated toxicity is genotoxicity. To obtain insight into the time-course of oxidative-and alkylationinduced DNA damage in the freshwater mussel, Unio pictorum, mussels were exposed for 24 hr to concentration gradients of pro-oxidant hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and a mono-functional alkylating agent, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). DNA damage was assessed in haemocytes immediately upon exposure and over the recovery period of up to 72 days by means of comet and micronucleus assays. Following exposure to H 2 O 2 , DNA damage as detected by the comet assay returned to control values after one day, except for the mussels exposed to the highest dose when damage was detectable for the next 3 days. In contrast, alkylation-induced DNA damage was detect-able even after 72 days of recovery in de-chlorinated water, with a dose-response relationship observable throughout the whole recovery period. Micronucleus frequency was the highest on Day 3 after exposure to EMS; it decreased considerably by Day 7 and returned almost to the control levels 19 days after exposure, while no significant induction of micronuclei was observed in mussels exposed to H 2 O 2 . Although the comet assay is considered a biomarker of recent genotoxic exposure, detecting DNA damage of shorter longevity than with the micronucleus assay, results presented here show that in the case of alkylation damage the comet assay reveals genotoxic exposure of U. pictorum in a dose-dependent manner even after 2 months. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 49:000-000, 2008. V V C 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Detection of DNA damage in haemocytes of zebra mussel using comet assay

The aim of the study was to use the comet assay on haemocytes of freshwater mussel, Dreissena polymorpha Pallas, for detection of possible DNA damage after exposure to pentachlorophenol (PCP) and to evaluate the potential application of the comet assay on mussel haemocytes for genotoxicity monitoring of freshwater environment. Zebra mussels were exposed for seven days to different concentrations (10, 80, 100, 150 g/l) of PCP and in the river Sava downstream from Zagreb municipal wastewater outlet. Significant increase in DNA damage was observed after exposure to PCP at doses of 80 g/l and higher and after in situ exposure in the river Sava as well. This study confirmed that the comet assay applied on zebra mussel haemocytes may be a useful tool in determining the potential genotoxicity of water pollutants.

Identification of DNA damage in marine fish Therapon jarbua by comet assay techniques

The marine fish Therapon jarbua was exposed to acute concentration of mercuric chloride (HgCl 2 ). In static acute toxicity bioassays at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr LC 50 values were estimated for each concentrations such as control, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 ppm, respectively. DNA damage (single-strand break) was also studied in gill, kidney and blood tissues at single-cell levels in the specimens exposed to different acute doses of HgCl 2 , by applying single-cell electrophoresis (comet assay). Dose-dependent responses were observed in DNA damage in all tissues. A comparison of DNA damage in all tissue at two concentration namely, 0.125 and 0.25 ppm indicated that the gill cells (maximum damage as 249.3 and 289.7 AU) were more sensitive to the heavy metal exposure than kidney (maximum 225.17 AU) and blood cells (maximum 200.3 AU). This study explored the utility of the comet assay for in vivo laboratory studies using fish for screening the genotoxic potential for various agents.

Development and validation of the in vivo alkaline comet assay for detecting genomic damage in marine flatfish

Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, 1998

Biomonitoring is an important subject within environmental sciences. Biomonitoring tests are required to be quick, relatively inexpensive, accurate, and reproducible. No genetic test currently fulfils all of these requirements. The chromosome aberration and sister chromatid exchange tests are very time consuming, the DNA adduct technique is rather expensive, and the micronucleus test has not inconclusively proven its use as a reliable monitoring tool. This work is focused on the validation of the comet assay as a candidate for monitoring marine ecosystems. For the comet assay, this work deals with the effectiveness of tissue dissociation, storage of cells in lysing buffer and in liquid nitrogen, different electrophoretic conditions, neutralisation and fixation of slides, interindividual variation between samples, and responsiveness of four tissue Ž .

Identification of DNA damage in marine fish Therapon jarbua by comet assay technique

Journal of environmental biology / Academy of Environmental Biology, India, 2012

The marine fish Therapon jarbua was exposed to acute concentration of mercuric chloride (HgCl2). In static acute toxicity bioassays at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr LC50 values were estimated for each concentrations such as control, 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 ppm, respectively. DNAdamage (single-strand break) was also studied in gill, kidney and blood tissues at single-cell levels in the specimens exposed to different acute doses of HgCl2, by applying single-cell electrophoresis (comet assay). Dose-dependent responses were observed in DNA damage in all tissues. A comparison of DNA damage in all tissue at two concentration namely, 0.125 and 0.25 ppm indicated that the gill cells (maximum damage as 249.3 and 289.7 AU) were more sensitive to the heavy metal exposure than kidney (maximum 225.17 AU) and blood cells (maximum 200.3 AU). This study explored the utility of the comet assay for in vivo laboratory studies using fish for screening the genotoxic potential for various agents.

Maintenance of bivalve hemocytes for the purpose of delayed DNA strand break assessment using the comet assay

Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, 2009

The lack of appropriate methods for storing intact and viable cells for the purpose of delayed DNA strand break analysis has hitherto limited the application of the Comet assay to in vitro or in vivo laboratory studies and restricted ecologically more relevant field-collected samples to sites in proximity to suitable laboratory facilities. In the present article, osmotically corrected cell culture media Hanks Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) and Leibovitz Media (L-15) were assessed for their suitability as temporary storage media of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) hemocytes. It was found that hemocytes maintained in either HBSS or L-15 could be stored for at least 7 days at 4°C without any significant deterioration in cell viability (Trypan blue) or increase in DNA strand breaks, expressed as % tail DNA. This approach allows the acquisition and examination of samples from organisms exposed in situ at previously unsuitable remote sites, thereby greatly increasing the potential ecological relevance of Comet assay-derived genotoxicity data. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

An Overview of Comet Assay Application for Detecting DNA Damage in Aquatic Animals

Agriculture

This review discusses several research studies that employed comet assay to evaluate the environmental impact of genotoxins in aquatic environments. It focuses on in vivo and in situ studies of aquatic animals. New chemicals are being added each year to the existing burden of toxic substances in the environment. Excessive agricultural and industrial activities adversely affect biodiversity, threatening the survival of species in a particular habitat, as well as posing disease risks to humans. Some of the chemicals, e.g., pesticides and heavy metals, may be genotoxic to the sentinel species and/or to non-target species, causing deleterious effects in somatic or germ cells. Comet assay is a quick, sensitive, and low-cost technique for detecting DNA strand breakage. However, the comet assay has much more to offer than being an assay for testing DNA strand breaks in animal organs. The use of repair enzymes increases the range of DNA lesions that can be detected with the assay. Comparing...

Use of Comet-FISH in the study of DNA damage and repair: Review

Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research, 2009

The Comet-FISH technique is a useful tool to detect overall and region-specific DNA damage and repair in individual cells. It combines two well-established methods, the Comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis) and the technique of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Whereas the Comet assay allows separating fragmented from non-fragmented DNA, FISH helps to detect specifically labelled DNA sequences of interest, including whole chromosomes. Thus the combination of both techniques has been applied in particular for detection of site-specific breaks in DNA regions which are relevant for development of different diseases. This paper reviews the relevant literature and presents three examples on how Comet-FISH was used for studying the induction of DNA damage by genotoxic compounds related to oxidative stress in colon cancer-relevant genes (TP53, APC, KRAS) of a colon adenoma cell line. The accumulated evidence on relative sensitivity of these genes in comparison to global damage allows a more definite conclusion on the possible contribution of the genotoxic factors during colorectal carcinogenesis. Telomere fragility was compared in different cell lines treated with cytostatic agents, and revealed new patterns of biological activities through the drugs and different sensitivities of the cell lines that were found to be associated with their tumour origin. A third example relates to measuring repair of specific gene regions using Comet-FISH, a method that can be developed to biomarker application. Taken together, available data suggests that Comet-FISH helps to get further insights into sensitivity of specific DNA regions and consequently in mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Although the nature of the measured Comet-FISH endpoint precludes us from stating basically that damage and repair are occurring within the specific gene, it is at least possible to evaluate whether the damage and repair are occurring within the vicinity of the gene of interest. #

Detection of DNA damage in yolk-sac larvae of the Japanese Medaka, Oryzias latipes, by the comet assay

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2011

This study was set up to determine the suitability of the early life stage (ELS) alkaline comet assay for the detection of DNA strand breaks induced by genotoxicants in whole organism. This assay was performed on cells of medaka 2 days posthatch (dph). An efficient procedure for cell dissociation using enzymatic and mechanical digestion was developed. This protocol ensures 80% viability of cells and low DNA damage background. Cells from 2 dph medaka larvae were exposed in vitro to model genotoxicants, hydrogen peroxide, cadmium, and fluoranthene, followed by comet assay analysis. Results show a significant increase in the percentage of DNA damage of dissociated cells by all the tested compounds when compared to controls. The assay was also performed in vivo on medaka larvae (2 dph) exposed for 24 h to waterborne cadmium or fluoranthene. Significant induction of DNA damage levels were observed following larvae exposure to cadmium and fluoranthene at concentrations of 0.1 and 50 μM, respectively. This study demonstrates that cells of embryo life stage medaka respond to known DNA damaging agents and that the ELS comet assay may be a useful biomarker to detect DNA strand breakage in whole body of pluricellular organism induced by a range of agents. This technique may provide a sensitive, nonspecific endpoint of genotoxicity as part of ELS toxicity test.