Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Chironomidae--Effect of heavy metals on; Cadmium--Environmental aspects;
Abstract
The objective of this research was to identify potential molecular biomarkers by looking for differences in the mRNA expression patterns between cadmium exposed and non-exposed freshwater aquatic invertebrate larvae. In the future, genes that indicate sublethal damage to a population at risk could be used to monitor the degradation or regeneration of an ecosystem. For this study, laboratory reared Chironomus tentans were placed in a sublethal concentration of cadmium treated water and the genes turned on in response to the cadmium were isolated from a cDNA subtract library. Six genes were identified and two potential biomarkers of environmental stress, ferritin and a small heat shock protein (HSP), were analyzed with dot blot analysis and northern blot analysis. Both potential biomarkers showed dose responsive induction by cadmium treatment. This work represents a first step in utilizing molecular biology tools as a sensitive means of detecting changes on the organismal level to identify the bioavailablity and effects of cadmium upon aquatic invertebrates.
Year of Submission
2000
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Department of Biology
First Advisor
Maureen E. Clayton
Second Advisor
Edward J. Brown
Third Advisor
Kavita R. Dhanwada
Date Original
2000
Object Description
1 PDF file (86 leaves)
Copyright
©2000 David Hunter Dyer
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Dyer, David Hunter, "Identification of Potential Molecular Biomarkers of Cadmium Induced Stress in C̲hironomus tentans ̲" (2000). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2546.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2546
Comments
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