Project description:Neonicotinoid pesticides cause behavioral abnormalities in mammals, raising concerns about their effects on neural function. We investigated effects of sub-acute exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide, clothianidin (CLO) on gene expression profiles of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in male mice
Project description:The mechanisms of cognitive and learning effects of neonicotinoid pesticides were not fully understood. We examined the effects of acute exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide, clothianidin (CLO) on gene expression profiles in the cellebellum of male mice at 10 weeks of age.
Project description:Neonicotinoid pesticides which were developed newly since the 1980s are chemically similar to nicotine. Prenatal and lactational exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides has been shown to cause reproductive toxicity in males, but not yet in female mice. We investigated effects of in utero and lactational exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide, clothianidin (CLO) on gene expression profiles of the ovary in 3 weeks old mice.
Project description:The mechanisms of developmental neurotoxicity of neonicotinoid pesticides were not fully understood. We examined the effects of neonatal exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide, clothianidin (CLO) on gene expression profiles of the hippocampus in male mice at 3 or 10 weeks of age.
Project description:The buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris audax is an important pollinator within both landscape ecosystems and agricultural crops. During their lifetime bumblebees are regularly challenged by various environmental stressors including insecticides. Historically the honey bee (Apis mellifera spp.) has been used as an 'indicator' species for 'standard' ecotoxicological testing, but it has been suggested that it is not always a good proxy for other eusocial or solitary bees. To investigate this, the susceptibility of B. terrestris to selected pesticides within the neonicotinoid, pyrethroid and organophosphate classes was examined using acute insecticide bioassays. Acute oral and topical LD50 values for B. terrestris against these insecticides were broadly consistent with published results for A. mellifera. For the neonicotinoids, imidacloprid was highly toxic, but thiacloprid and acetamiprid were practically non-toxic. For pyrethroids, deltamethrin was highly toxic, but tau-fluvalinate only slightly toxic. For the organophosphates, chlorpyrifos was highly toxic, but coumaphos practically non-toxic. Bioassays using insecticides with common synergists enhanced the sensitivity of B. terrestris to several insecticides, suggesting detoxification enzymes may provide a level of protection against these compounds. The sensitivity of B. terrestris to compounds within three different insecticide classes is similar to that reported for honey bees, with marked variation in sensitivity to different insecticides within the same insecticide class observed in both species. This finding highlights the need to consider each compound within an insecticide class in isolation rather than extrapolating between different insecticides in the same class or sharing the same mode of action.
Project description:Enabled by recently available genomic resources for bumblebees, nano LC-MS/MS based proteomics was conducted to characterise the queen haemolymph proteome. The resulting mass spectrometry data were also utilised in a proteogenomic capacity to identify proteins missing from official gene sets and to improve gene models and annotation. 97 multiple-peptide supported proteins within queen bumblebee haemolymph were identified including 28 immunity-related proteins with roles in immune recognition, signalling and regulation. In addition 19 proteins with potential immune roles were identified. The haemolymph proteome is particularly rich in metabolism and transport proteins and comprised 18 proteins with unknown function.
