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International audience; The ceasing of industrial activities often reduces the emission of pollutants but also often leaves disturbed areas without remediation and with persistent pollutants that can still be transferred along the food chain. This study examines the potential relationships between non-essential trace metals and histopathology in target tissues of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) collected along a gradient of contamination around the former smelter, Metaleurop Nord (northern France). Cadmium and lead concentrations were measured, and histological alterations attributable to chronic trace metal exposure were assessed in the liver and the kidneys of 78 individuals. Metal concentrations quantified in the present study were among the highest observed for this species. Some histological alterations significantly increased with Cd or Pb concentrations in the soil and in the organs. Sixteen mice from polluted sites were considered at risk for metal-induced stress because their Cd and/or Pb tissue concentrations exceeded the LOAELs for single exposure to these elements. These mice also exhibited a higher severity of histological alterations in their organs than individuals with lower metal burdens. These results indicate that the Metaleurop smelter, despite its closure in 2003, still represents a threat to the local ecosystem because of the high levels and high bioavailability of Cd and Pb in the soil. However, among the mice not considered at risk for metal-induced stress based on the metal levels in their tissues, a large percentage of individuals still exhibited histological alterations. Thus, the present study suggests that the evaluation of toxic effects based only on the LOAELs for single metal exposure may result in the underestimation of the real risks when specimens are exposed to multiple stressors.

9 pages; International audience; Despite the dramatic decrease of atmospheric lead (Pb) concentrations in urban areas of most industrialised countries, we hypothesised that urban common blackbirds (Turdus merula) may still be contaminated by Pb concentrations of toxicological concern due to transfer from soil through the food chain. We sampled blackbirds and earthworms, one of their main preys, in Besan?, a middle-size city of Eastern France (where atmospheric Pb concentrations decreased from 0.5 microg/m(3) in 1987 to nearly 0 in 2002) and in a rural reference site. Lead concentrations were determined in the tissues of the different functional groups of earthworms (anecic, epigeous and endogeous) and in blood, washed and unwashed outermost tail feathers and breast feathers of blackbirds. Fresh masses and an index of individual body condition were measured in the two blackbird populations as biomarkers of possible toxic effects. Lead concentrations in earthworms did not differ among functional groups but were significantly higher in urban individuals than in rural ones. Concentrations in outermost tail feathers, breast feathers and blood were significantly higher in urban blackbirds (7.75+/-4.50, 3.15+/-1.77 and 0.15+/-0.09 microg/g, respectively) than in rural individuals. In urban blackbirds, concentrations in washed and unwashed outermost tail feathers allowed estimating the external contamination (probably due to deposition of dusts and/or to excretion of the uropygial gland) at 37% of the total Pb concentration of the unwashed feathers. Remaining 63% should be linked to food chain transfer of persistent Pb from urban soils. Among the 23 sampled blackbirds, 4 of them (3 in the urban site and 1 in the rural site) exhibited blood Pb concentrations higher than the benchmark value (0.20 microg/g) related to subclinical and physiological effects in birds. Variations in body condition index were not correlated to Pb concentrations in blackbird tissues. Present results suggest that Pb may still be of environmental concern for blackbirds in urban areas because of the persistence of Pb in soils and its transfer through the food chain.

International audience; Enzymatic probing and lead(II)-induced cleavages have been developed to study the secondary structure of RNA molecules either free or engaged in complex with different ligands. Using a combination of probes with different specificities (unpaired vs. paired regions), it is possible to get information on the accessibility of each nucleotide, on the binding site of a ligand (noncoding RNAs, protein, metabolites), and on RNA conformational changes that accompanied ligand binding or environmental conditions (temperature, pH, ions, etc.). The detection of the cleavages can be conducted by two different ways, which are chosen according to the length of the studied RNA. The first method uses end-labeled RNA molecules and the second one involves primer extension by reverse transcriptase. We provide here an experimental procedure that was designed to map the structure of mRNA and mRNA-sRNA interaction in vitro.

International audience; To understand bioaccumulation kinetics of metals within biota inhabiting industrially contaminated soils, toxicokinetic dynamics and subcellular fractionation were carried out with the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa in a long-term (six-month) laboratory experiment. Accumulation and elimination kinetics were determined for Cd, Pb, and Zn in both viscera and foot of snails and were described accurately by one-compartment models. The subcellular fractions were obtained by sequential centrifugations and were analyzed by isolating metal-rich granules, tissue fragments, and cytosolic fractions. Different fractions showed metal-specific binding capacities that might be useful in identifying the biological significance of accumulated metal levels in snails. Cadmium was retrieved mainly from the cytosolic fraction, where it was stored in the long term and not excreted, thus explaining the linear accumulation patterns. Most of the accumulated Pb was found in the granular fraction, and snails appeared able to excrete these concretions, leading to achievement of a steady state in internal Pb body burdens. Significant levels of Pb, however, were retrieved at the end of the depuration phase and retained in the cell debris fraction. Zinc showed affinities for both cytosolic and granular fractions, leading to intermediate uptake and excretion patterns. The dynamics of the different sequestration forms at the subcellular level support the observed kinetics of metal body burdens and, in association with the determination of uptake fluxes, allow precise assessment of metal accumulation in snails.

International audience; Juvenile Helix aspersa snails exposed in field microcosms were used to assess the transfer of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn from forest soils amended with liquid and composted sewage sludge. Zn concentrations and contents were significantly higher in snails exposed to liquid and composted sludge after 5 and 7 weeks of exposure, when compared with control. Trends were less clear for the other metals. Present results show that Zn, among the cocktail of metallic trace elements (MTE) coming from sewage sludge disposal, represents the principal concern for food chain transfer and secondary poisoning risks. The microcosm design used in this experiment was well suited for relatively long-term (about 2 months) active biomonitoring with H. aspersa snails. The snails quickly indicated the variations of MTE concentrations in their immediate environment. Therefore, the present study provides a simple but efficient field tool to evaluate MTE bioavailability and transfer.