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Evaluations of Environmental Pollutant-Induced Mitochondrial Toxicity Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System

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Environmental Toxicology and Toxicogenomics

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2326))

Abstract

Environmental pollutants inevitably exert adverse effects on humans and other species. Quick identification and in-depth characterization of the pollutants are requisite objectives for clinicians and environmental health scientists. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been utilized as a model organism for toxicity evaluation of environmental pollutants, due to its transparency, short lifespan, entire genome sequencing, and economical characteristics. However, few researchers have systematically addressed mitochondrial toxicity in response to toxicants, despite the critical role mitochondria play in energy production and respiration, as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species. Mitochondria are vulnerable to environmental pollutants, and their dysfunction contributes to cellular damage and toxicity in plethora of diseases. Here, we describe methods in step-by-step for mitochondrial toxicity evaluation in response to pollutants, including exposure of C. elegans to toxicants, mitochondrial ROS detection, mitochondrial morphology analysis, mitochondrial function analysis, such as ATP production and oxygen consumption, and gene expression studies, with the application of corresponding genetically modified strains.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NSFC grant (81903352 and 81973083), the Joint Funds for the Innovation of Science and Technology, Fujian province (2019Y91010015 and 2017Y9105) and National Institutes of Health (R01ES07331, R01ES10563).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

    Fuli Zheng & Huangyuan Li

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

    Fuli Zheng & Huangyuan Li

  3. Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Michael Aschner

Authors
  1. Fuli Zheng
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  2. Michael Aschner
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  3. Huangyuan Li
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

    Xiaoping Pan

  2. Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

    Baohong Zhang

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Zheng, F., Aschner, M., Li, H. (2021). Evaluations of Environmental Pollutant-Induced Mitochondrial Toxicity Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System. In: Pan, X., Zhang, B. (eds) Environmental Toxicology and Toxicogenomics. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2326. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1514-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1514-0_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-1513-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-1514-0

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