TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in transcriptome regulations of a marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis under methylmercury stress
AU - Lin, Hangyu
AU - Wei, Yanlin
AU - Li, Songzhang
AU - Mao, Xiaodong
AU - Qin, Jianguang
AU - Su, Shengqi
AU - He, Tao
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Mercury (Hg), a heavy metal pollutant worldwide, can be transformed into methylmercury (MeHg) by various aquatic microorganisms in water, thus accumulating along the aquatic food chain and posing a particular challenge to human health. Zooplankton plays a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems and serves as a major component of the food chain. To evaluate the effects of MeHg on the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and reveal the underlying mechanism of these effects, we exposed B. plicatilis to MeHg by either direct immersion or by feeding with MeHg-poisoned Chlorella pyrenoidesa, respectively, and conducted a transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that B. plicatilis directly exposed to MeHg by immersion showed significant enrichment of the glutathione metabolism pathway for detoxification of MeHg. In addition, the exposure to MeHg by feeding induced a significant enrichment of lysosome and notch signaling pathways of rotifers, supporting the hypothesis that MeHg can induce autophagy dysfunction in cells and disturb the nervous system of rotifers. In two different routes of MeHg exposure, the pathway of cytochrome P450 in rotifers showed significant enrichment for resisting MeHg toxicity. Our results suggest further studies on the potential mechanism and biological responses of MeHg toxicity in other links of the aquatic food chain.
AB - Mercury (Hg), a heavy metal pollutant worldwide, can be transformed into methylmercury (MeHg) by various aquatic microorganisms in water, thus accumulating along the aquatic food chain and posing a particular challenge to human health. Zooplankton plays a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems and serves as a major component of the food chain. To evaluate the effects of MeHg on the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis and reveal the underlying mechanism of these effects, we exposed B. plicatilis to MeHg by either direct immersion or by feeding with MeHg-poisoned Chlorella pyrenoidesa, respectively, and conducted a transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that B. plicatilis directly exposed to MeHg by immersion showed significant enrichment of the glutathione metabolism pathway for detoxification of MeHg. In addition, the exposure to MeHg by feeding induced a significant enrichment of lysosome and notch signaling pathways of rotifers, supporting the hypothesis that MeHg can induce autophagy dysfunction in cells and disturb the nervous system of rotifers. In two different routes of MeHg exposure, the pathway of cytochrome P450 in rotifers showed significant enrichment for resisting MeHg toxicity. Our results suggest further studies on the potential mechanism and biological responses of MeHg toxicity in other links of the aquatic food chain.
KW - Brachionus plicatilis
KW - Methylmercury
KW - Transcriptomics
KW - Zooplankton
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85181703072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101177
DO - 10.1016/j.cbd.2023.101177
M3 - Article
C2 - 38104474
AN - SCOPUS:85181703072
SN - 1744-117X
VL - 49
JO - Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part D: Genomics and Proteomics
JF - Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology - Part D: Genomics and Proteomics
M1 - 101177
ER -