Investigating proteomic profiles of rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) kidney and liver tissues exposed to low concentrations of waterborne nickel

Abstract

Nickel has become a component of natural freshwater that may pose serious ecological risks to aquatic wildlife. Due to Canada’s significant presence in producing and exporting nickel, the country has the opportunity to negatively impact aquatic watersheds and the surrounding environment. We examined changes in protein profiles of kidney and liver tissues of rainbow trout using untargeted proteomics to study the impacts of low concentration nickel (1 - 46 ppb). Findings suggest that the organs’ proteomes showed fewer significant protein changes compared to non-lethal and non-invasive sample types (e.g. epidermal mucus and blood plasma) with regard to nickel toxicity. The proteome of the kidney as compared to the liver was more significantly affected by nickel. Additionally, findings suggest that proteins involved in the regulation of biological and cellular processes were impacted and that the kidney proteome of rainbow trout is sensitive to low concentrations of nickel.