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Cyanobacteria-blooming water samples from Lake Taihu induce endoplasmic reticulum stress in liver and kidney of mice

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Abstract

To investigate whether endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was involved in apoptosis induced by cyanobacteria-blooming water, healthy male ICR mice were fed with water samples from cyanobacteria-blooming regions of Lake Taihu (China), including Meiliang Bay (M1 and M2), central lake region (H), macrophyte-dominated Xukou Bay (X), and tap water (control group) for three consecutive months. Hepatic and renal mRNA and protein expression of ER stress signaling molecules were measured with quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. Compared to macrophyte-dominated and control water samples, cyanobacteria-blooming water changed hepatic ER stress signaling molecules. M1 water treatment increased the mRNA and protein levels of glucose regulation protein 78 (GRP78) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and decreased the mRNA levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2). M2 water treatment up-regulated GRP78 mRNA and protein expression, whereas H water treatment up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of GRP78 and caspase-12. Cyanobacteria-blooming water exposure also changed mRNA and protein expression of ER stress signaling molecules in the kidneys. M1 water exposure up-regulated GRP78 mRNA and protein expression and CHOP mRNA expression, whereas M2 water treatment up-regulated caspase-12 and Bcl-2 mRNA expression. M1 and M2 cyanobacteria-blooming water exposure significantly increased relative liver weights, and induced hepatic cell apoptosis. However, cyanobacteria-blooming water treatment did not change kidney weights, and did not induce renal apoptosis compared to macrophyte-dominated and control water samples. Hence, cyanobacteria-blooming water induces hepatic apoptosis via ER stress, and ER stress may play an important role in the apparent anti-apoptotic effects on renal cells exposed to cyanobacteria-blooming water.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2008CB418102). The authors sincerely thank Professor Long Yi, from Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, for the histopathological evaluations of liver and kidney tissues of mice.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare having no conflict of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210046, People’s Republic of China

    Wendi Qin, Liuyan Yang, Xuxiang Zhang, Zongyao Zhang, Jun Wu & Jing An

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, Nanjing University, 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing, 210093, People’s Republic of China

    Lizhi Xu & Yaping Wang

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  1. Wendi Qin
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  2. Liuyan Yang
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Correspondence to Liuyan Yang.

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Qin, W., Yang, L., Zhang, X. et al. Cyanobacteria-blooming water samples from Lake Taihu induce endoplasmic reticulum stress in liver and kidney of mice. Ecotoxicology 21, 1495–1503 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0903-6

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