Estrogenic Compounds Downstream From Three Small Cities in Eastern Nebraska: Occurrence and Biological Effect1

Abstract: Recent studies have detected estrogenic compounds in surface waters in North America and Europe. Furthermore, the presence of estrogenic compounds in surface waters has been attributed, in some cases, to the discharge of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The primary objective of the current study was to determine if WWTP effluent contributes estrogens to the surface waters of Nebraska. A second objective of this study was to determine if estrogens were found in concentrations sufficient enough to manifest feminizing effects on fish. These objectives were satisfied by deploying polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and caged fathead minnows at eight field sites. Deployment sites included: three reference sites (Pawnee Creek, the Little Blue River, and the Middle Loup River), two sites upstream of the WWTPs at Grand Island and Columbus, and three sites downstream of the WWTPs at Grand Island, Columbus, and Hastings. Following the seven day deployments, POCIS extracts were analyzed for estrone, 17β‐estradiol, estriol and 17α‐ethinylestradiol using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). 17β‐estradiol was detected in POCIS from six of the eight field sites with the greatest quantities recovered in POCIS deployed downstream from the Grand Island and Hastings WWTPs. Estrone was detected only in the POCIS deployed downstream from the Grand Island and Hastings WWTPs. Estrogenic effects were detected in caged minnows analyzed for the hepatic mRNA expression of two estrogen‐responsive genes, vitellogenin (vg1) and estrogen receptor α (ERα). Fish deployed at the site where the greatest quantities of estrogens were recovered (Hastings) had significantly higher expression of both vg1 and ERα than fish deployed at any of the other sites. These results confirm that WWTP effluent contributes biologically significant levels of estrogens to Nebraska surface waters.     

桂林甑皮岩洞穴的形成、演化及古人类文化遗址堆积浅议

研究发现甑皮岩（洞穴）新石器时代遗址文化层堆积不仅具有重要的古人类活动-史前文化研究价值,而且具有旅游观赏价值,是重要的史前文化遗产,是揭示和反映中华远古文明的典型代表。据洞穴石笋、钙华测年及年溶蚀率推测,桂林甑皮岩洞穴形成年代大约是在晚更新世时期。而据文化堆积层中的陶片、古动物化石测年、炭灰和孢粉记录表明,文化层从距...     

Trace contamination with dioxin-like chemicals: evaluation of bioassay-based TEQ determination for hazard assessment and regulatory responses

Many recent dioxin contamination events have been traced back to poisoned animal feed or feed ingredients. Therefore, enforcement authorities placed limits on the levels of dioxins in food and feed or implemented strict monitoring and control programs. The levels in force are generally expressed as TEQ values, which inherently accepts the underlying hypothesis that the effects of dioxin-like chemicals are additive. TEQ determination involves either chemo-analysis, with high-resolution gas chromatography in combination with high-resolution mass spectroscopy, or bio-analysis. Bio-analytical methods, more particularly the reporter gene expression method CALUX, are advantageous due to their high throughput rate and low cost. Moreover, the CALUX methodology detects the overall dioxin-like toxicity, rather than the limited number of compounds investigated by chemo-analysis. Bioanalytical methods such as CALUX also differ from chemo-analysis in that the contribution of antagonistic as well as synergistic effects, which violate the additivity principle, can be detected. The application of bio-analytical methods can facilitate a broader assessment of public health risks by intensifying the current monitoring programs in terms of both sample numbers and types. Bio-analysis provides information on the total dioxin-like activity of the samples under study (hazard assessment); however, chemo-analysis is still needed to identify the predominant contaminants (congener identification) for risk management.     

五氯苯酚对污泥性能和功能基因表达水平的影响

氯酚废水是一类广泛存在于环境的典型工业废水,具有显著的生态毒性,为探讨废水中氯酚类化合物对污泥性能和功能基因表达水平的影响,采用HRT（水力停留时间）为8 h、SBR（间歇曝气的序批式生物反应器）处理进水浓度为2 mg/L的PCP（五氯苯酚）废水,并与处理不含PCP的废水作对比分析,探讨PCP对污染物去除和微生物菌群的影响,并分析PCP诱导下污泥中Pseudomonas功能基因的表达水平.结果表明:①1~90 d,进水浓度为2 mg/L的PCP严重抑制污泥活性,出水ρ（COD_Cr）超过100 mg/L,PCP降解去除缓慢,而对照组出水ρ（COD_Cr）在31.6 mg/L左右波动.90 d后,降解PCP的优势菌群富集,水相、泥相PCP被降解去除,但PCP的毒性作用使其出水ρ（COD_Cr）仍高于对照组.②经PCP长期驯化污泥富集的优势菌属为Chondromyces、Ignavibacterium、Thauera、Pseudoxanthomonas、Bosea、Achromobacter、Comamonas和Salimesophilobacter,均归属于变形菌门和厚壁菌门,在降解氯酚类污染物方面起着重要作用.③当处理PCP的SBR处于稳定运行阶段时,SBR运行周期末污泥中降解PCP的菌属Pseudomonas调控ATP水解酶（ATPase）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）和细胞色素p450（CYP450）的功能基因表达被激活,而调控超氧化物歧化酶（SODb）、氨单加氧酶（AM）、脱氯水解酶（HDLH）和甘油三磷酸脱氢酶（GAPDH）的功能基因表达被抑制,即活性污泥中微生物调控不同基因的表达受进水PCP的抑制或激活.研究显示:进水PCP诱导SBR富集的优势菌属可实现废水中PCP的去除,起到削减废水毒性的作用;通过分析不同优势菌属的相关功能基因表达,可加强对不同微生物降解污染物机理的认识.      

Cloning, expression in Escherichia coli, and enzymatic properties of laccase from Aeromonas hydrophila WL-11

A strain WL-11 with high laccase activity was isolated from activated sludge collected from the effluent treatment plant of a textile and dyeing industry.It was identified as Aeromonas hydrophila by physiological test and 16S rDNA sequence analysis.A gene encoding of laccase from a newly isolated Aeromonas hydrophila WL-11 was cloned and characterized.Nucleotide sequence analysis showed an open reading frame of 1605 bp encoding a polypeptide comprised of 534 amino acids.The primary structure of the enzyme predicted the structural features characteristic of other laccases,including the conserved regions of four histidine-rich copper-binding sites.The predicted amino acid sequence showed a high homology(more than 60%) with bacterial laccases in the genome and protein databases and the highest degree of similarity(61% identity) was observed with the multicopper oxidase of Klebsiella sp.601.When expressed in Escherichia coli,the recombinant enzyme was overproduced in the cytoplasm as soluble and active form.The purified enzyme had an optimum pH of 2.6 and 8.0 for ABTS(2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazolinesulfonic acid) and DMP(2,6-dimethoxyphenol),respectively.The kinetic study on ABTS revealed a higher affinity of this enzyme to this substrate than DMP.     

蚯蚓体内过氧化物还原蛋白PRDX基因对土壤PAHs污染胁迫的转录响应

在前期建立的苯并[a]芘(benzo[a]pyrene,BaP)诱导上调表达的蚯蚓cDNA文库中,发现一种过氧化物还原蛋白peroxiredoxin6(PRDX6)基因片段,并提交到GenBank.Blastx比对与基因进化分析结果表明,该序列与已知PRDX6的最高相似率为86%,期望值为4E-30.序列分析表明,该序列具有PRDX6基因含Cys编码的一个特征motif,表明该序列属于PRDX6基因.为进一步验证蚯蚓PRDX6基因对多环芳烃污染的响应情况,使用OECD推荐方法,进行了土壤菲、芘、荧蒽和苯并芘污染对蚯蚓的毒性响应的试验(周期28 d),并采用定量PCR方法,检测了各实验组蚯蚓PRDX6基因的表达差异.结果发现,1.0 mg·kg-1的芘和苯并[a]芘均可显著上调蚯蚓PRDX6基因的表达,表明PRDX6基因可作为土壤污染引起蚯蚓抗氧化应激检测的分子标记.     

Effluent impact assessment using microarray-based analysis in common carp: a systems toxicology approach

Effluents are a main source of direct and continuous input of pollutants to the aquatic environment, and can cause ecotoxicological effects at different levels of biological organization. Since gene expression responses represent the primary interaction site between environmental contaminants and biota, they provide essential clues to understand how chemical exposure can affect organismal health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the applicability of a microarray approach for unraveling modes of action of whole effluent toxicity and impact assessment. A chronic toxicity test with common carp (Cyprinus carpio) was conducted where fish were exposed to a control and 100% effluent for 21 days under flow-through conditions. Microarray analysis revealed that effluent treatment mainly affected molecular pathways associated with the energy balance of the fish, including changes in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as well as digestive enzyme activity. These gene expression responses were in clear agreement with, and provided additional mechanistic information on various cellular and higher level effects observed for the same effluent. Our results demonstrate the benefit of toxicogenomic tools in a “systems toxicology” approach, involving the integration of adverse effects of chemicals and stressors across multiple levels of biological complexity.     

岩溶坡地土壤空间异质性的表述与调查方法——以贵州清镇市王家寨坡地为例

讨论了岩溶坡地土壤空间异质性的表述与调查方法,选取了地表石质土地面积比例及空间分布和土壤厚度及空间分布两个方面作为土壤空间异质性的表述内容,引入了地块破碎度、离散度、变异函数等指标;以王家寨为例,研究发现岩溶坡地土石比、破碎度、离散度、土壤厚度等指标从坡顶到坡下逐渐增大;石质地块破碎度在微观地块上表现为值越大地块越完整,是否与研究尺度有关还需要进一步论证;土壤厚度变异系数基本在1~1.5之间,与土壤厚度变程和土壤平均厚度有关;最后用土壤侵蚀的原理解释了岩溶坡地土壤空间异质性。     

In situ studies on growth,oxidative stress responses,and gene expression of juvenile bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) to eutrophic lake water dominated by cyanobacterial blooms

Cyanobacterial blooms have received increasing attention as a public biohazard for human and animal health. To assess the effect of cyanobacteria-dominant lake water on juvenile fish, we measured the responses of specific growth rate, condition factor, body weight and body length, oxidative stress, and related gene expression of juvenile bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis exposed to in situ eutrophic lake (Chl a was around 7.0 μg L⁻¹). Results showed in situ cyanobacteria-dominant lake water had no effect on the growth performance, but significantly elevated the contents of malondialdehyde, the expression of heat shock protein 70, and the activity of superoxide dismutase, indicating that oxidative stress occurred. Meanwhile in situ lake water significantly decreased the expression of catalase and glutathione S-transferase genes. We conclude that in situ cyanobacteria-dominated lake water was harmful to juvenile bighead carp based on the oxidative stress and changes in the related gene expression levels.