Copper toxicity in the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: an integrated approach

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 c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biometals 2013-10, Vol.26 (5), p.731-740
Main Authors: Jamers, An, Blust, Ronny, De Coen, Wim, Griffin, Julian L., Jones, Oliver A. H.
Format: Article
Language:eng ; dut
Subjects:
Algae
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Cell Biology
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - cytology
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii - drug effects
Copper
Copper - chemistry
Copper - toxicity
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Flow Cytometry
Kinetics
Life Sciences
Medicine/Public Health
Microbiology
Pharmacology/Toxicology
Plant Physiology
Structure-Activity Relationship
Toxicology
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Summary: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. Cu 2+ 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.
ISSN:0966-0844
1572-8773
DOI:10.1007/s10534-013-9648-9