Hepatic Transcriptomics and Protein Expression in Rainbow Trout Exposed to Municipal Wastewater Effluent

Municipal wastewater effluents (MWWEs) represent one of the largest point sources of contamination, but few studies have addressed the impact on fish populations. We tested the hypothesis that MWWEs disrupt multiple stress-related pathways by examining expression of genes and proteins in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A caging study was undertaken by placing juvenile trout for 14 d either at an upstream control or 100%, 50%, and 10% MWWE sites. A custom-made low-density rainbow trout cDNA microarray was utilized for transcriptomics, and select gene expression was confirmed with quantitative real-time PCR. MWWE exposure significantly elevated plasma cortisol, glucose, and vitellogenin levels, and altered the expression of a number of hepatic genes. Notably, expression of stress-related genes, hormone receptors, glucose transporter 2, and genes related to immune function were altered. The gene and protein expression of glucocorticoid receptor, heat shock proteins 70 and 90, and cytochrome P4501A1 were also impacted by MWWE exposure. Our results demonstrate that tertiary-treated MWWEs elicit an organismal and cellular stress response in trout and may lead to an enhanced energy demand in the exposed fish. The disruption in multiple stress-related pathways suggests that tertiary-treated MWWEs exposure may reduce fish performance to subsequent stressors.