Expression analysis study of mercury-associated protein spots in fish from the Amazon Region

Abstract

Fish is considered an important source of proteins of high biological value for the riverside population of the Amazon region. However, fish also represent one of the main routes of human exposure to toxic contaminants such as methylmercury (MeHg), which could lead to serious human health risks. In the last five years, mercury studies associated with the protein fraction in fish from the Amazon region have been developed by Brazilian researchers seeking to identify possible biomarkers of exposure to mercurial species. Thus, giving sequences to the metalloproteomics study of mercury in Amazonian fish, this work proposal has the following objectives: Separate by 2D PAGE the proteome of muscle and liver tissue samples of fish collected in the JIRAU reservoir of Madeira/Rondônia; identify mercury-associated proteins by GFAA and ESI-MS/MS, proceed analysis of expression of these proteins looking for possible correlation with the incorporation of mercury in fish organisms and to use bioinformatics tools that may contribute to the knowledge of these proteins in their functional levels, metabolic pathways and protein-protein interactions. (AU)