Cellular physiological assessment of bivalves after chronic exposure to spilled Exxon Valdez crude oil using a novel molecular diagnostic biotechnology.

The objective of this study was to determine the cellular physiological status of the bivalves Mya arenaria and Mytilus trossulus in an area experiencing a 10-yr chronic exposure of spilled Exxon Valdez crude oil in Prince William Sound. Bivalves were collected from well-characterized oiled and unoiled sites. We used a novel biotechnology (Environmental Cellular Diagnostic System) to determine (i) if bivalves were physiologically stressed, (ii) the nature of the altered physiological state, and (iii) whether the bivalves were responding to an exposure of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Molecular diagnostic analysis indicated that bivalves at the oiled site were experiencing both oxidative and xenobiotic stress, resulting in increased protein turnover and chaperone activity. Bivalves from the impacted area were responding specifically to a PAH-xenobiotic exposure and accumulating protein-PAH adducts. Finally, species-specific responses were observed that could be related to the habitat preferences of each species. We conclude that bivalves inhabiting a site impacted by crude oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill showed clear indications of cellular physiological stress.