Ecotoxico-Proteomics for Aquatic Environmental Monitoring: First in Situ Application of a New Proteomics-Based Multibiomarker Assay Using Caged Amphipods

As
a proof of principle, a selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mass
spectrometry-based methodology was applied to the simultaneous quantification
of dozens of protein biomarkers in caged amphipods (Gammarus
fossarum). We evaluated the suitability of the methodology
to assess complex field contaminations through its application in
the framework of a regional river monitoring network. Thanks to the
high throughput acquisition of biomarker levels in G. fossarum exposed in four reference and 13 contaminated sites, we analyzed
the individual responses of 38 peptides reporting for 25 proteins
of interest in 170 organisms. Responses obtained in contaminated sites
included inductions of vitellogenin-like proteins in male organisms,
inductions of Na+K+/ATPases, and strong inhibitions
of molt-related proteins such as chitinase and JHE-carboxylesterase.
Proteins from detoxification and immunity processes were also found
modulated in abundance. Summarizing, the results presented here show
that the SRM strategy developed for multibiomarker measurement paves
a very promising way to define multiple indicators of the health status
of sentinel organisms for environmental hazard assessment.