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:The spatial organization of cells within tissues is tightly linked to their biological function. Yet, methods to probe the entire transcriptome of multiple native tissue microenvironments at single cell resolution are lacking. Here, we introduce fragment-sequencing, a method that enables the transcriptomic characterization of single cells within spatially distinct tissue niches. Fragment-sequencing of the mouse metastatic liver revealed previously uncharacterized zonated genes and ligand-receptor interactions enriched in the different hepatic microenvironments and the metastatic niche.
Project description:Microplastics (MPs) as widespread contamination pose high risk for aquatic organisms. However, current understanding of MP toxicities are based on cell population-averaged measurements. Here we used single-cell RNA sequencing to provide the transcriptome heterogeneity of 12000 intestinal cells obtained from zebrafishes exposed to 100nm, 5μm and 200μm polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) for 21 days. Eight intestinal cell populations were identified. We found that all the three sizes of PS-MPs induced dysfunction of intestinal immune cells (including phagosome and regulation of immune system process).
Project description:Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity data from neural cells treated with microplastics were compared and contrasted. Transcriptomic data obtained by RNA-seq from astrocytes treated with microplastics was assessed further.