Project description:Background: Earthworms are essential for a healthy soil ecosystem, performing key functions such as bioturbation. The soil ecosystem can be challenged by natural toxins such as isothiocyanates (ITC), secondary metabolites produced by many commercial crops. This study investigated the effects of the natural toxin, 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate on the earthworm Eisenia andrei using an ecotoxicogenomics approach that combined standardised ecotoxicological testing with gene expression analyses. Results and discussion: Exposure to 2-Phenylethyl ITC reduced both survival and reproduction of E. andrei in a dose-dependent manner, with an EC50 (reproduction) value of 556 nmol/g soil. Cross-species comparative genomic hybridisation validated the applicability of an existing 4x44k E. fetida microarray to E. andrei. Gene expression profiles revealed the importance of metallothionein (mt) as an early warning signal when E. andrei is exposed to low concentrations of 2-phenylethyl ITC. Allignment of these mt genes with the mt-2 gene of Lumbricus rubellus showed that there must at least have 2 mt genes in the Eisenia sp. genome. At high exposure concentrations of 2-phenylethyl ITC gene expression was mainly affected by inhibiting chitinase activities, inducing an oxidative stress response, and stimulating energy metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis, furthermore, implied that the high concentration may cause impaired light sensitivity, angiogenesis (e.g. wound healing), olfactory perception (olfaction), learning and memory. Conclusions: Increased levels of isothiocyanates may be found in the field in the near future. Risks of such compounds should be carefully investigated before allowing them to enter the soil on a large scale. This is the first study to investigate the effects of an isothiocyanate on an earthworm both on the ecotoxicological and genomic level.
Project description:Background: Earthworms are essential for a healthy soil ecosystem, performing key functions such as bioturbation. The soil ecosystem can be challenged by natural toxins such as isothiocyanates (ITC), secondary metabolites produced by many commercial crops. This study investigated the effects of the natural toxin, 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate on the earthworm Eisenia andrei using an ecotoxicogenomics approach that combined standardised ecotoxicological testing with gene expression analyses. Results and discussion: Exposure to 2-Phenylethyl ITC reduced both survival and reproduction of E. andrei in a dose-dependent manner, with an EC50 (reproduction) value of 556 nmol/g soil. Cross-species comparative genomic hybridisation validated the applicability of an existing 4x44k E. fetida microarray to E. andrei. Gene expression profiles revealed the importance of metallothionein (mt) as an early warning signal when E. andrei is exposed to low concentrations of 2-phenylethyl ITC. Allignment of these mt genes with the mt-2 gene of Lumbricus rubellus showed that there must at least have 2 mt genes in the Eisenia sp. genome. At high exposure concentrations of 2-phenylethyl ITC gene expression was mainly affected by inhibiting chitinase activities, inducing an oxidative stress response, and stimulating energy metabolism. KEGG pathway analysis, furthermore, implied that the high concentration may cause impaired light sensitivity, angiogenesis (e.g. wound healing), olfactory perception (olfaction), learning and memory. Conclusions: Increased levels of isothiocyanates may be found in the field in the near future. Risks of such compounds should be carefully investigated before allowing them to enter the soil on a large scale. This is the first study to investigate the effects of an isothiocyanate on an earthworm both on the ecotoxicological and genomic level. Three-exposure experiment; Acetone control vs.EC10 vs.EC50 exposed animals. Biological replicates: 4 replicates for each exposure. Technical replicates: 2 replicates for each exposure
Project description:The Xenopus genus is well known for the high degree of polyploidy observed in its constituent species, but there is minimal information about transcriptional changes observed in these highly polyploid vertebrates. Xenopus andrei, an octoploid species within the Xenopus genus, presents a novel system for assessing a polyploid transcriptome during vertebrate development. RNA-Seq data was generated at nine different developmental stages ranging from unfertilized eggs through late tailbud stages. Additionally, using Trinity, RNA-seq data from all nine stages was pooled to create a draft de novo assembly of the transcriptome. This represents the first published assembly of an octoploid vertebrate transcriptome. This RNA-Seq and transcriptome data will be useful in comparing polyploid transcriptomes across Xenopus species, as well as understanding evolutionary implications of whole-genome duplication in vertebrates.