Project description:Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are the major pesticides used worldwide. Converging evidence suggests that GBH residues pose a particular risk to the kidneys and liver. However, the existence of biological effects with negative health implications at low environmentally relevant doses remains unresolved. A previous investigation addressed this issue, by conducting a 2-year feeding study, which included 10 female Sprague Dawley rats administered via drinking water with 0.1 ppb of a major Roundup formulation (50 ng/L glyphosate equivalent dilution). Hepatorenal toxicities, as well as urine and blood biochemistry disturbances at the 15th month of age were observed. In an effort to obtain molecular mechanistic insight into the underlying causes of these pathologies, we have carried out a transcriptome microarray analysis of the liver and kidneys from these same animals. The expression of 4224 and 4447 genes were found to be disturbed respectively in liver and kidney (p<0.01, q<0.08, fold change >1.1). Among the 1319 genes whose expression was altered in both tissues, 3 functional categories were over-represented. First, genes involved in mRNA splicing and small nucleolar RNA were mostly upregulated, suggesting disruption of normal spliceosome activity. Electron microscopic analysis of hepatocytes confirmed nucleolar structural disruption. Second, genes controlling chromatin structure (especially histone-lysine N-methyltransferases) were mostly upregulated. Third, genes related to respiratory chain complex I and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were mostly downregulated. The transcription factor networks that can account for these disruptions were centered on CREB1, ESR1, YY1, c-Myc and Oct3/4 activity, which are known to closely cooperate in the regulation of gene expression after hormonal stimulation. The analysis of pathways and toxicity processes showed that these disturbances in gene expression were representative of fibrosis, necrosis, phospholipidosis, mitochondrial membrane dysfunction and ischemia, which correlate with the pathologies observed at an anatomical and histological level. Our results suggest that new studies incorporating testing principles from endocrinology and developmental epigenetics need to be performed to investigate potential consequences of exposure to low dose, environmental levels of GBH and glyphosate. Nine female rats were fed drinking water containing 0.1ppb Roundup formulation (50 ng/L glyphosate equivalent dilution). Ten control female rats were fed untreated drinking water. Samples of liver and kidney were taken for gene expression analysis.

Project description:Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are the major pesticides used worldwide. Converging evidence suggests that GBH residues pose a particular risk to the kidneys and liver. However, the existence of biological effects with negative health implications at low environmentally relevant doses remains unresolved. A previous investigation addressed this issue, by conducting a 2-year feeding study, which included 10 female Sprague Dawley rats administered via drinking water with 0.1 ppb of a major Roundup formulation (50 ng/L glyphosate equivalent dilution). Hepatorenal toxicities, as well as urine and blood biochemistry disturbances at the 15th month of age were observed. In an effort to obtain molecular mechanistic insight into the underlying causes of these pathologies, we have carried out a transcriptome microarray analysis of the liver and kidneys from these same animals. The expression of 4224 and 4447 genes were found to be disturbed respectively in liver and kidney (p<0.01, q<0.08, fold change >1.1). Among the 1319 genes whose expression was altered in both tissues, 3 functional categories were over-represented. First, genes involved in mRNA splicing and small nucleolar RNA were mostly upregulated, suggesting disruption of normal spliceosome activity. Electron microscopic analysis of hepatocytes confirmed nucleolar structural disruption. Second, genes controlling chromatin structure (especially histone-lysine N-methyltransferases) were mostly upregulated. Third, genes related to respiratory chain complex I and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were mostly downregulated. The transcription factor networks that can account for these disruptions were centered on CREB1, ESR1, YY1, c-Myc and Oct3/4 activity, which are known to closely cooperate in the regulation of gene expression after hormonal stimulation. The analysis of pathways and toxicity processes showed that these disturbances in gene expression were representative of fibrosis, necrosis, phospholipidosis, mitochondrial membrane dysfunction and ischemia, which correlate with the pathologies observed at an anatomical and histological level. Our results suggest that new studies incorporating testing principles from endocrinology and developmental epigenetics need to be performed to investigate potential consequences of exposure to low dose, environmental levels of GBH and glyphosate.

Project description:This study aimed to investigate the hepatic transcriptional response of brown trout to glyphosate, and its formulated product, Roundup. We exposed juvenile female brown trout to three concentrations of glyphosate (0.01, 0.5 and 10 mg/L) and Roundup (0.01, 0.5 and 10 mg/L glyphosate acid equivalent) for 14 days and sequenced the hepatic transcriptome of 6 individual females per treatment group in order to determine the global mechanisms of toxicity of this widely used herbicide. We assembled the brown trout transcriptome using an optimised de novo approach, and subsequent differential expression analysis identified a total of 1020 differentially-regulated transcripts across all treatments. Differentially-expressed transcripts included those encoding components of the antioxidant system, a number of stress-response proteins and pro-apoptotic signalling molecules. Functional analysis also revealed over-representation of pathways involved in regulation of cell-proliferation and turnover, and up-regulation of energy metabolism and other metabolic processes. Together, these transcriptional changes are consistent with generation of oxidative stress and the widespread induction of compensatory cellular stress response pathways. The mechanisms of toxicity identified were similar across both glyphosate and Roundup treatments, including for environmentally relevant concentrations. The significant alterations in transcript expression observed at the lowest concentrations tested raises concerns for the toxicity of this herbicide to fish populations inhabiting contaminated rivers. Fish were exposed to 3 concentrations of glyphosate (0.01, 0.1 and 10 mg/L), 3 concentrations of Roundup (0.01, 0.5 and 10 mg/L glyphosate acid equivalent) and water controls for 14 days. Liver mRNA from 6 replicate individuals per treatment was sequenced in an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Two control groups (n=6 fish per group) were included. Using a de novo approach, we assembled the hepatic transcriptome for brown trout. Sequence reads were re-mapped to the assembled transcriptome using Bowtie2 and transcript expression profiling was conducted using EdgeR. ERCC spike controls were added to all individual samples, allowing for the assessment of the reproducibility and dynamic range for transcript expression quantification in our experiments. For the group exposed to 0.1 mg/L glyphosate, only 3 females were available to sequence and the variability between individuals was very high with 1 female identified as an outlier. For this reason, data from this treatment group was deemed unreliable and excluded from the analysis.

Project description:The number and type of synthetic chemicals that are being produced worldwide continues to increase significantly. While these industrial chemicals provide numerous benefits, there is no doubt that some have potential to damage the environment and health. Toxicity must be evaluated and use must be carefully controlled and monitored in order to minimize potential damage. DNA microarray technology has become an important new technique in toxicology. We are using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism for toxicological study because it is a simple, fast-growing eukaryote that has been thoroughly characterized. In order to evaluate toxicity by newly synthesized or mixture chemicals, toxicity-induced gene expression alteration profiles by known chemicals should be collected. In our study, cells need to be exposed with same experimental cellular condition, semi lethal (IC50), respectively. In the case of round up (CAS; 40465-66-5), the exposure dose was decided as 1500 times dilution by growth curve with continuously diluted exposure. Roundup is the brand name of a systemic, broad-spectrum herbicide contains the active ingredient glyphosate. Glyphosate is classed as a moderately toxic herbicide and in EPA toxicity class III. // Genomic profile of roundup treatment of yeast using DNA microarray analysis: The herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate as the active ingredient, was first introduced in 1974 and has enjoyed widespread use in Japan and elsewhere in the world. Roundup-induced reactions occurring in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae may have a predictive value for understanding responses in higher eukaryotes, and we applied yeast DNA microarray analysis for this purpose. Functional characterization of up-regulated open reading frames (ORFs) following Roundup treatment suggests that Roundup affects membrane structures and cellular organelles. Expression profiles induced by treatments with detergents, oils and hydrostatic pressure were similar to those following Roundup treatment based on cluster analysis. Glyphosate alone was not found to inhibit yeast growth at the concentration contained in the Roundup treatment used for microarray analysis. The toxicity of Roundup appeared to be due to detergent in the product. Keywords: stress response

Project description:Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides globally. It acts by inhibiting an enzyme in an aromatic amino synthesis pathway specific to plants and microbes, leading to view that glyphosate poses no risk to other organisms. However, there is growing concern that glyphosate is associated with detrimental health effects in humans, and an ever-increasing body of evidence suggests that glyphosate affects other animals including pollinating insects such as bees. Although pesticides have long been considered a contributing factor in the decline of wild bee populations most research on bees has focussed on demonstrating and understanding the effects (particularly sublethal ones) of insecticides. To assess whether glyphosate poses a potential risk to bees we characterised the changes in survival, behaviour, digestive tract proteome and microbiome in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris after chronic exposure to field relevant doses of glyphosate alone and as part of the commercially available product RoundUp Optima+®. Regardless of source, changes in response to herbicide exposure in important cellular and physiological processes in the digestive tract of B. terrestris were observed, with the abundances of proteins associated with oxidative stress regulation, metabolism, cellular adhesion, the extracellular matrix, and various signalling pathways being altered. Interestingly, endocytosis, oxidative phosphorylation, the TCA cycle, and carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism were differentially altered depending on whether the exposure source was glyphosate AI or RoundUp Optima+®. In addition, RoundUp Optima+®, but not the active ingredient glyphosate, impacted fungal diversity in the digestive tract microbiota. Our research provides new insights into the potential mode of action and consequences of glyphosate exposure at the molecular and cellular levels in bumblebees and highlights issues with current regulatory measures involving commercial formulations of pesticides where the impact of the co-formulants on non-target organisms are generally overlooked.

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Wide-scale transcriptome disturbance underlies liver and kidney pathology from chronic ultra low dose Roundup exposure [liver]

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