Parvalbumin and Ubiquitin as Potential Biomarkers of Mercury Contamination of Amazonian Brazilian Fish

• Autor(a) principal: Vieira, José Cavalcante Souza [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: de Oliveira, Grasieli [UNESP], Braga, Camila Pereira, da Silva Fernandes, Mileni, de Moraes, Paula Martin, Buzalaf, Marília Afonso Rabelo, de Oliveira, Lincoln Carlos Silva, de Magalhães Padilha, Pedro [UNESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12011-020-02026-w; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/198389
• topic: Biomarkers; Fish; Mercury in the Amazon; Mercury-bound proteins; Metalloproteins; Proteomics

Recent studies have demonstrated the association of mercury (Hg) with some fish proteins, milk, and hair from individuals exposed to the element in the Amazon. However, few studies involve identifying biomarkers of mercury exposure. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify potential biomarkers of Hg exposure in fish. For this, the muscular tissues of two species of fish (Prochilodus lineatus and Mylossoma duriventre) that feed the Amazonian human population were analyzed. Through the analyses obtained by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), it was possible to identify four protein SPOTS where mercury was present. These SPOTS, identified by mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS), included parvalbumin and ubiquitin-40S ribosomal protein S27a, and these being metalloproteins with biomarker characteristics. In addition, the results show the intense Hg/protein ratio observed in the two proteins, which makes metalloproteins strong candidates for biomarkers of mercury exposure. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].