Expression of glutathione S-transferase D3 mRNA in Drosophila melanogaster as a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

• Main Authors: Kuei-Jin Chen, 陳癸今
• Other Authors: Yi-Chih Chien
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/96683052689720725266

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 生物學系 === 99 === Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of six different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing two to five aromatic rings on fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, using glutathione S-transferase D3 (gstD3) mRNA expression as a biomarker. GstD3 gene, a member of gst delta gene family, was once considered as a pseudogene for its absence of conservative protein sequences. Recently, efforts have been made to elucidate that gstD3 may be a functional gene and can be induced by certain substances. Fruit flies were exposed to different PAHs with different concentrations for 2-12 or 2-24 hours. Survived flies were collected for RNA purification and cDNA synthesis. The expression of gstD3 was determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The results indicated that DmgstD3 could be induced during the exposure period of all six PAHs used, confirming that this gene was not a pseudogene. GstD3 revealed an early-peak expression pattern (2-6hr after exposure) when exposed to PAHs with two to four benzene rings. Moreover, all six PAHs tested could induce the expression of gstD3 right after two hours of exposure. This study suggests that gstD3 can be a sensitive biomarker suitable for exposure assessments of PAHs with two to five aromatic rings.