Non-targeted proteomics reveals altered immune response in geographically distinct populations of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0147621 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1096-0953 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00139351 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Environ Res Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2000- > : Amsterdam : Elsevier
Original Publication: New York, Academic Press.

Turtles*/metabolism ; Water Pollutants, Chemical*/analysis; Animals ; Humans ; Proteomics ; Australia ; Immunity

All seven species of sea turtle are facing increasing pressures from human activities that are impacting their health. Changes in circulating blood proteins of an individual, or all members of a population, can provide an early indicator of adverse health outcomes. Non-targeted measurement of all detectable proteins in a blood sample can indicate physiological changes. In the context of wildlife toxicology, this technique can provide a powerful tool for discovering biomarkers of chemical exposure and effect. This study presents a non-targeted examination of the protein abundance in sea turtle plasma obtained from three geographically distinct foraging populations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on the Queensland coast. Relative changes in protein expression between sites were compared, and potential markers of contaminant exposure were investigated. Blood plasma protein profiles were distinct between populations, with 85 out of the 116 identified proteins differentially expressed (p < 0.001). The most strongly dysregulated proteins were predominantly acute phase proteins, suggestive of differing immune status between the populations. The highest upregulation of known markers of immunotoxicity, such as pentraxin fusion and complement factor h, was observed in the Moreton Bay turtles. Forty-five different organohalogens were also measured in green turtle plasma samples as exposure to some organohalogens (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls) has previously been identified as a cause for immune dysregulation in marine animals. The few detected organohalogens were at very low (pg/mL) concentrations in turtles from all sites, and are unlikely to be the cause of the proteome differences observed. However, the changes in protein expression may be indicative of exposure to other chemicals or environmental stressors. The results of this study provide important information about differences in protein expression between different populations of turtles, and guide future toxicological and health studies on east-Australian green sea turtles.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Keywords: Biomarker; Contaminants; POPs; Proteomics; Wildlife

0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical)

Date Created: 20221010 Date Completed: 20221129 Latest Revision: 20230130

20240105

10.1016/j.envres.2022.114352

36210607