Oyster reproduction is affected by exposure to polystyrene microplastics
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ABSTRACT: Plastics are persistent synthetic polymers that accumulate in the marine environment as waste. Microplastic (MP) particles are derived from the breakdown of larger debris or can enter the environment as microscopic fragments. Filter-feeder organisms ingest MP while feeding and are likely to be impacted by MP pollution. To assess the impact of polystyrene microspheres (PS) on the physiology of the Pacific oyster, adult oysters were experimentally exposed to virgin micro-PS (2 and 6 µm in diameter; 32 µg L-1) for two months during a reproductive cycle. Effects were investigated on transcriptomic responses, in digestive gland gonads and oocytes of exposed oysters. Transcriptomic profiles in the tissues of the exposed oyster showed endocrine disrupting signals, notably highlighting alteration in glucocorticoid response, insulin pathway and fatty-acid metabolism in response to micro-PS exposition. In oocytes from exposed females, several transcripts coding for proteins involved in Ca2+ binding were differentially expressed suggesting a disruption of the Ca2+ signaling pathway with crucial consequences on oocyte maturation.
ORGANISM(S): Magallana gigas
PROVIDER: GSE71845 | GEO | 2016/01/15
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA292304
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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