Assessing the health of grass shrimp (Palaeomonetes pugio) exposed to natural and anthropogenic stressors: A molecular biomarker system

We developed a molecular biomarker system (MBS) to assess the physiological status of Palaomenetes pugio (grass shrimp) challenged with exposure to he at stress, cadmium, atrazine, and the water-accommodating fraction of eithe r diesel fuel or bunker fuel No. 2. The MBS assayed 9 specific cellular par ameters of shrimp that are indicative of a nonstressed or stressed conditio n: heat-shock protein 60, heat-shock protein 70, alpha beta -crystallin hom ologue, lipid peroxide, total glutathione level, ubiquitin, mitochondrial m anganese superoxide dismutase, metallothionein, and cytochrome P-450 2E hom ologue. Using these 9 parameters, the MBS can distinguish between the respo nses to each stressor, and to the nonstressed control conditions. The MBS w as able to determine the structural integrity of the cell as defined by pro tein turnover, protein chaperoning, and lipid composition via lipid peroxid e levels, and the status of key metabolic processes such as cytoskeletal in tegrity and glutathione redox potential. This technology aids in the accura te diagnosis of the health of shrimp because the physiological significance of changes of each parameter is well known. This technology is particularl y relevant for environmental monitoring because grass shrimp are used as ke y indicator species in many estuarine ecosystems. Finally, this system is e asy to implement, precise, and can be quickly adapted to an automated high- throughput system for mass sample analysis.