Different uranium distribution patterns in cytosolic protein pool of zebrafish gills after chronic and acute waterborne exposures

Abstract

The toxicity of uranium (U) to aquatic organisms depends notably on its compartmentalization in organs, tissues, cells as well as on its distribution among biomolecules. In order to contribute to the understanding of U accumulation and associated toxicity mechanisms in case of waterborne exposure, this study focused on U fate in the gills epithelia, uptake pathway, of the fish model Danio rerio (zebrafish). U distribution among cytosolic biomolecules was investigated after no addition (0μgL−1 (c0) for 3 and 30d), chronic (20μgL−1 (c20) for 30d) and acute (20μgL−1 (c20) and 250μgL−1 (c250) for 3d) exposures to depleted U. Cytosolic U accounted for an average of 24–32% of gills burden for c20 and c250, respectively. Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Sector Field Mass Spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) allowed identification of ecotoxicologically relevant U-containing fractions among cytosolic biomolecules as a function of exposure conditions. In c0 and c20 samples, most U (ca.80%) was found in the Low Molecular Weight fraction (LMW, <18kDa), often considered as a detoxifying fraction. In c250 exposed fish, U was equally distributed between LMW (40%) and High Molecular Weight (HMW, 150–670kDa; 40%) fractions, the latter including sensitive metalloproteins. Uranium-biomolecules were co-eluted with endogenous essential metal (Fe, Cu and Zn) species, however, no major influence on their cytosolic concentration and distribution pattern among cytosolic proteins was found.