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The Effect of In Vitro Exposure to Tributyltin on the Immune Competence of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Leukocytes

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Abstract

We evaluated the direct effects of in vitro exposures to tributyltin (TBT), a widely used biocide, on the cell-mediated immune system of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Splenic and pronephric leukocytes isolated from juvenile Chinook salmon were exposed to TBT (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 mg/l) in cell cultures for 24 h. Effects of TBT on cell viability, induction of apoptosis, and mitogenic responses were measured by flow cytometry. Splenic and pronephric leukocytes in the presence of TBT experienced a concentration-dependent decrease in viability in cell cultures. Apoptosis was detected as one of the mechanisms of cell death after TBT exposure. In addition, pronephric lymphocytes exhibited a greater sensitivity to TBT exposure than pronephric granulocytes. The functional ability of splenic B-cells to undergo blastogenesis upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation was also significantly inhibited in the presence of 0.05, 0.07, or 0.10 mg/l of TBT in the cell cultures. Flow cytometric assay using a fluorescent conjugated monoclonal antibody against salmon surface immunoglobulin was employed for the conclusive identification of B-cells in the Chinook salmon leukocytes. Our findings suggest that adverse effects of TBT on the function or development of fish immune systems could lead to an increase in disease susceptibility and its subsequent ecological implications.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Beth Siddens for managing the laboratory and helping us out with our sampling. We thank Rob Chitwood, manager of the Fish Performance and Genetics Laboratory at Oregon State University for his assistance with establishing the experimental conditions and Dr. Grant Feist for his guidance with data analysis. The research was supported by a grant from Oregon Sea Grant and funds from the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Ichiro Misumi & Jo-Ann C. Leong

  2. Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology, University of Hawai’i, PO Box 1346, Kane’ohe, HI, 96744, USA

    Ichiro Misumi & Jo-Ann C. Leong

  3. Freshwater Fisheries Research Division, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research Agency, 2482-3 Chugushi, Nikko, Tochigi, 321-1661, Japan

    Takashi Yada

  4. Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, U.S.G.S.–Biological Resources Division, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Carl B. Schreck

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  1. Ichiro Misumi
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Correspondence to Ichiro Misumi.

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Misumi, I., Yada, T., Leong, JA.C. et al. The Effect of In Vitro Exposure to Tributyltin on the Immune Competence of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Leukocytes. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 56, 229–237 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-008-9187-5

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