Molecular determinants in mussels as biomarkers for environmental stress

Abstract

Mussels comprise members of several families including clams and bivalvia mollusca from both marine and freshwater habitats. They are distributed worldwide and are implicated as bio-indicators for environmental stress. These animals are exposed to a variety of pollutants of industrial, agricultural and urban origin. The accumulation of several anthropogenic agents in their tissues suggests that they possess mechanisms that allow them to cope with the toxic effects of these contaminants. Besides pollutant uptake, this paper presents an overview of the significance of the use of molecular biomarkers in mussels as diagnostic and prognostic tools for marine and freshwater pollution monitoring. Biomarkers complement the information of the direct chemical characterization of different types of contaminants. This review focuses on several types of biomarkers classified according to their functional roles in normal tissues, their respective expression following the exposure to harmful contaminants and their relevant physiological aspects in term of response to environmental stress. Evidence from both experimental laboratory conditions as well as field studies will be taken into account in a perspective of a multi-biomarker approach to assess environmental changes. © 2011 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.