Project description:Microplastics represent a growing environmental concern for the oceans due to their potential capability to adsorb different classes of pollutants, thus representing a still unexplored source of exposure for aquatic organisms. In this study polystyrene (PS) microplastics were characterized for their capability to adsorb pyrene (PYR) as model compound for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and transfer this chemical to filter feeding mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis. Gene expression analyses of Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to polystyrene (PS) microplastics and to polystyrene contaminated with pyrene (PS-PYR) have been performed trough a DNA microarray platform.
Project description:Differential expression analysis of digestive gland and gill tissues of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) exposed to dinoflagellates (Prorocentrum lima), producers of okadaic acid, at a concentration of 200 cells/ml for one day. Each sample consists in total RNA was extracted from pooled tissues of 5 individuals.
Project description:Proteomics to decipher the cocktail effects of three pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, carbamazepine and venlafaxine) as a mixture on the digestive gland of male mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis.
Project description:Pharmaceutical compounds are emerging contaminants in aquatic environment due to their massive use (human and veterinary medicines, agriculture and aquaculture) and a limited removal by waste water treatment plants (WWTPs). In this work, a representative determination of ecotoxicological potential of two different NSAIDs compounds was studied in the sensitive bioindicator marine organism M. Galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed, under regulated laboratory conditions, to Ketoprofen (KET) and Nimesulide (NIM), dosed alone at the realistic environmental concentration of 0.5µg/L for 14 days. Gene expression analyses of Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to KET and NIM have been performed through a DNA microarray platform.
Project description:Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed during 24 hours to a waterborne infection with 10E8 CFU/ml Vibrio splendidus (reference strain LGP32) in the tank water. Five biological replicates were used for each infected and control conditions.
Project description:This project aimed to disclose the metabolic alterations and responses of the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis after grazing the toxic microalga Prorocentrum lima. Mussels metabolic alterations were investigated by shotgun proteomics, during the phases of intoxication and depuration. The diarrhetic shelllfisf toxins were also quantified in this project, for assessing the levels of contamination of mussels.
Project description:Transcriptional analysis of the effects of natural environmental variation across the vertical distribution of Mytilus californianus within a single mussel bed Keywords: Environmental Response 30 Biological replicates from plots sampled at 3 different verticle tide heights above the MLLW at Strawberry Hill Oregon. 15 mussels were sampled after a mid-day emmersion event and 15 mussels were sampled after a 1 hour recovery at ambient seawater temperatures. 1 replicate per array, compared using a common reference sample. 50 Biological replicates for 5 plots sampled at 2 different verticle tide heights above the MLLW at Boiler Bay Oregon. 25 mussels were sampled after a mid-day emmersion event and 25 mussels were sampled after a 1 hour recovery at ambient seawater temperatures. Pooled RNA from 5 biological replicates from each plot per array, compared using a common reference sample.
Project description:[original Title] Transcriptomic responses to heat-stress in invasive and native blue mussels (genus Mytilus): molecular correlates of invasive success. Invasive species are increasingly prevalent in marine ecosystems worldwide. Although many studies have examined the ecological effects of invasives, little is known about physiological mechanisms that might contribute to invasive success. The mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, a native of the Mediterranean Sea, is a successful invader on the central and southern coasts of California, where it has largely displaced the native congener, Mytilus trossulus. It has been previously shown that thermal responses of several physiological traits may underlie the capacity of M. galloprovincialis to out-compete M. trossulus in warm habitats. To elucidate possible differences in stress-induced gene expression between these congeners, we developed an oligonucleotide microarray with 8,874 probes representing 4,488 different genes that recognized mRNAs of both species. In acute heat-stress experiments, 1,531 of these genes showed temperature-dependent changes in gene expression that were highly similar in the two congeners. In contrast, 96 genes showed species-specific responses to heat-stress, functionally characterized by their involvement in oxidative stress, proteolysis, energy metabolism, ion transport, cell signaling, and cytoskeletal reorganization. The gene that showed the biggest difference between the species was the gene for the molecular chaperone small heat shock protein 24, which was highly induced in M. galloprovincialis and showed only a small change in M. trossulus. These different responses to acute heat-stress may help to explain—and predict—the invasive success of M. galloprovincialis in a warming world.
Project description:Pharmaceutical compounds are emerging contaminants in aquatic environment due to their massive use (human and veterinary medicines, agriculture and aquaculture) and a limited removal by waste water treatment plants (WWTPs). In this work, a representative determination of ecotoxicological potential of Ketoprofen s was studied in the sensitive bioindicator marine organism M. Galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed, under regulated laboratory conditions, to Ketoprofen (KET) a, dosed alone at the realistic environmental concentration of 2.5µg/L for 14, 30 and 60 days. Gene expression analyses of Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to KET have been performed trough a DNA microarray platform.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of natural population of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) -digestive gland tissue- comparing female individuals sampled in the Bizerta Lagoon, Tunisia, across May 2007 - April 2008. Background: Seasonal environmental changes may affect the physiology of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.), an intertidal filter-feeder bivalve occurring commonly in Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal areas. We investigated seasonal variations in relative transcript abundance of the digestive gland and the mantle (gonads) of males and females. To identify gene expression trends, we used a medium-density cDNA microarray (1.7 K probes) in dual-color competitive hybridization analyses. Results: Hierarchical clustering of digestive gland microarray data showed two main branches, distinguishing profiles associated with the “hot” months (May–August) from the other months. Genes involved in chitin metabolism, associated with mussel nutrition and digestion, showed higher expression during summer. Moreover, we found different gene expression patterns in the digestive glands of males and females during the four stages of mussel gonadal development. Microarray data from gonadal transcripts also displayed clear patterns during the different developmental phases with peak relative mRNA abundance at the ripe phase (stage III) for both sexes. Conclusion: These data showed a clear temporal pattern in gene expression profiles of mussels sampled over an annual cycle. Physiological response to thermal variation, food availability, and reproductive status across months may contribute to variation in gene expression.