Impact of Organic Pollution on the Genome of Native Amazonian Fish Species: Highlights for the Cytogenomics and Gene Expression

Organophosphate pollution severely harms aquatic ecosystems in the Amazon. The urban area of Manaus is crossed by several rivers, the majority of which are contaminated by some pollutant. Using fish as model organisms, this work discussed the major investigations that have been conducted in the fields of cytogenomics and gene expression. Regarding cytogenomics, the retrotransposable elements Rex1, Rex3, and Rex6 have already been mapped in several species and their activation has been observed after environmental stress by temperature, toxic metal, and organic pollution. A study was conducted using the organophosphate Trichlorfon in populations of grown tambaqui, and it showed that genes involved in cellular apoptosis, the immune system, and oxidative stress were significantly expressed.