The toxicity of dithiocarbamate fungicides to soil nematodes, assessed using a stress-inducible transgenic strain of Caenorhabditis elegans
Citation
Güven, K., Power, R. S., Avramides, S., Allender, R. ve De Pomerai, D. I. (1999). The toxicity of dithiocarbamate fungicides to soil nematodes, assessed using a stress-inducible transgenic strain of Caenorhabditis elegans. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, 13(6), 324-333.Abstract
The dithiocarbamate fungicides maneb and mancozeb induce a short-term stress response in a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans strain (PC72) carrying a reporter lacZ gene under the control of a homologous heat shock (hsp16) promoter. This response can be readily monitored as induced beta-galactosidase activity, either by in situ staining or by a quantitative fluorometric enzyme assay. Particularly strong responses are induced by mancozeb (three- to fivefold above controls at 500 pg mL(-1)), causing acute toxicity at concentrations comparable to those recommended for field application (2 mg mL(-1)). Although much of this fungicide is adsorbed by soil, sufficient (ca. 6%) enters the soil water compartment to cause mild stress in the transgenic worm assay. Among possible metabolites from mancozeb breakdown, neither Mn2+ nor ethylenethiourea (ETU) is particularly toxic even at 10% of the optimum mancozeb dosage. Stress responses to a range of other pesticides are also reported, and in several cases it is clear that a nontarget soil species there, transgenic C. elegans) may be sensitive to low-level contamination. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.