Histopathological effect and stress response of mantle proteome following TBT exposure in the Hooded oyster Saccostrea cucullata

Tributyltin (TBT), an environmental pollutant in marine ecosystems, is toxic to organisms. Although contamination by and bioaccumulation and toxicity of this compound have been widely reported, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we exposed the Hooded oyster Saccostrea cucullata to TBT to investigate histopathological effects and proteome stress response. Animals were exposed to three TBT sub-lethal concentrations, 10, 50 and 150 μg/l for 48 h. TBT produced stress leading to histopathological changes in oyster tissues including mantle, gill, stomach and digestive diverticula. TBT induced mucocyte production in epithelia and hemocyte aggregation in connective tissue. Cell necrosis occurred when exposure dosages were high. Comparative proteome analyses of mantle protein of oysters exposed to 10 μg/l and control animals were analyzed by a 2-DE based proteomic approach. In total, 32 protein spots were found to differ (p