Response of rainbow trout transcriptome to model chemical contaminants

We used high-density cDNA microarray in studies of responses of rainbow trout fry at sublethal ranges of beta-naphthoflavone, cadmium, carbon tetrachloride, and pyrene. The differentially expressed genes were grouped by the functional categories of Gene Ontology. Significantly different response to the studied compounds was shown by a number of classes, such as cell cycle, apoptosis, signal transduction, oxidative stress, subcellular and extracellular structures, protein biosynthesis, and modification. Cluster analysis separated responses to the contaminants at low and medium doses, whereas at high levels the adaptive reactions were masked with general unspecific response to toxicity. We found enhanced expression of many mitochondrial proteins as well as genes involved in metabolism of metal ions and protein biosynthesis. In parallel, genes related to stress and immune response, signal transduction, and nucleotide metabolism were down-regulated. We performed computer-assisted analyses of Medline abstracts retrieved for each compound, which helped us to indicate the expected and novel findings.