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Copper toxicity in the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: an integrated approach

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Abstract

The effects of copper exposure at five different concentrations on the freshwater alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were studied at the biochemical (metabolite), physiological (uptake kinetics and flow cytometry) and growth level. Changes at the physiological level were evident at the lowest exposure concentration while effects on the metabolome and on growth only occurred at the highest copper concentration tested. Flow cytometry revealed the presence of higher reactive oxygen species concentrations in algae exposed to higher copper concentrations and this was confirmed by a significant reduction in glutathione levels as part of the metabolomics assessment. Cu2+ uptake kinetic data contributed information on possible mechanisms of copper toxicity, revealing that, a decrease in efflux pumping might be at the basis of an increased metal accumulation at higher exposure levels. This study demonstrates the value of using a comparative approach to investigating the mechanisms of toxicity rather than focusing on a single level of organization or effect.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders, Belgium and the European Union (European Commission, FP6 Contract No. 003956). OAHJ thanks Robin Jones for helpfull advice.

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  1. An Jamers

    Present address: Apeiron-Team Consulting, Pluyseghemstraat 69, 2550, Antwerp, Belgium

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium

    An Jamers, Ronny Blust & Wim De Coen

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, The Sanger Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK

    Julian L. Griffin

  3. School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia

    Oliver A. H. Jones

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  1. An Jamers
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  2. Ronny Blust
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  3. Wim De Coen
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  4. Julian L. Griffin
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  5. Oliver A. H. Jones
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Correspondence to Oliver A. H. Jones.

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Jamers, A., Blust, R., De Coen, W. et al. Copper toxicity in the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: an integrated approach. Biometals 26, 731–740 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-013-9648-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-013-9648-9

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