Project description:ncreasing effects of anthropogenic stressors and those of natural origin on aquatic ecosystems have intensified the need for predictive and functional models of their effects. Here, we use gene expression patterns in combination with weighted gene co-expression networks and generalized additive models to predict effects on reproduction in the aquatic microcrustacean Daphnia. We developed models to predict effects on reproduction upon exposure to different cyanobacteria, different insecticides and binary mixtures of cyanobacteria and insecticides. Models developed specifically for groups of stressors (e.g. either cyanobacteria or insecticides) performed better than general models developed on all data. Furthermore, models developed using in silico generated mixture gene expression profiles from single stressor data were able to better predict effects on reproduction compared to models derived from the mixture exposures themselves. Our results highlight the potential of gene expression data to quantify effects of complex exposures at higher level organismal effects without prior mechanistic knowledge or complex exposure data.
Project description:Vector-borne diseases are closely linked to the environment by the ecology of the vectors and their hosts. Elucidating these causal relationships is one of the most pressing challenges faced by researchers and public health scientists as increasing anthropogenic alternations in the environment can drive shifts in vector-borne disease dynamics. However, as one of the major environmental stressors, the impact of sublethal exposure of insecticides on vector behavior remains poorly investigated. Here, we analyzed how sublethal exposure of the promising vector-control bioinsecticide spinetoram on Aedes aegypti larvae, the latest generation of the spinosyns that have been suggested as a promising new bioinsecticide for vector control, at the larval stage of Ae. aegypti alters adult performance and susceptibility to dengue virus (DENV) infection. While spinetoram sublethal exposure leads to extended immature development time, these survivors were significantly smaller and exhibited weaker blood-feeding capacity than normal females. More importantly, surviving females presented higher DENV susceptibility than the control group after spinetoram sublethal exposure on larvae. Mechanistically, the transcriptomic analysis showed that inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) may function in stimulating DENV production in adult Ae. aegypti. In vitro study revealed that spinetoram induces apoptosis via mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS)-regulated OXPHOS dysregulation in Aag2 cells, and thereby may stimulate DENV production through the metabolic switch between OXPHOS and glycolysis. Altogether, our data demonstrate that sublethal spinetoram exposure could act as a crucial factor on life traits and vector competence in Ae. aegypti. Given that other insecticides are known to induce mitochondrial dysfunction in mosquito vectors, this research may have wider implications.
Project description:Modifications of metabolic pathways are important in insecticide resistance evolution. Mutations leading to changes in expression levels or substrate specificities of cytochrome P450 (P450), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and esterase genes have been linked to many cases of resistance with the responsible enzyme being shown to utilize the insecticide as a substrate. Many studies show that the substrates of enzymes are capable of inducing the expression of those enzymes. We investigated if this was the case for insecticides and the enzymes responsible for their metabolism. The induction responses for P450s, GSTs and esterases to six different insecticides were investigated using a custom designed microarray in Drosophila melanogaster. Even though these gene families can all contribute to insecticide resistance, their induction responses by insecticides is minimal. The insecticides spinosad, diazinon, nitenpyram, lufenuron and dicyclanil did not induce any P450, GST or esterase gene expression. DDT was the only insecticide tested capable of eliciting an induction response, but only low levels for one GST and one P450. These results are in contrast to the induction responses observed for the natural plant compound caffeine and the barbituate drug phenobarbital, both of which induced a number of P450 and GST genes to high. Our results show that although insects evolve metabolic resistance to insecticides, induction does not usually have a role in survival after insecticide application, and induction studies cannot be used to predict which genes are capable of metabolizing insecticides. This has implications for managing the evolution of metabolic insecticide resistance in natural insect populations. Keywords: induction response after treatment by various compounds
Project description:Our main objectives were: 1) to identify transcriptional signatures specific to the exposure to two metals: Ni and Cd; 2) to investigate the mechanisms of toxicity for these two metals; and 3) to develop a predictive tool to identify the sublethal effects of Ni and Cd contaminants in fish sampled from natural environments. The molecular mechanisms underlying nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) toxicity and their specific effects on fish are poorly understood. Documenting gene transcription profiles offers a powerful approach towards identifying the molecular mechanisms affected by these metals and to discover biomarkers of their toxicity. However, confounding environmental factors can complicate the interpretation of the results and the detection of biomarkers for fish captured in their natural environment. In the present study, a 1000 candidate-gene microarray, developed from a previous RNA-seq study on a subset of individual fish from contrasting level of metal contamination, was used to investigate the transcriptional response to metal (Ni and Cd) and non metal (temperature, oxygen, and diet) stressors in yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Specifically, we aimed at 1) identifying transcriptional signatures specific to Ni and Cd exposure, 2) investigating the mechanisms of their toxicity, and 3) developing a predictive tool to identify the sublethal effects of Ni and Cd contaminants in fish sampled from natural environments. A total of 479 genes displayed significantly different transcription levels when temperature varied while 287 and 177 genes were differentially transcribed at different concentrations of Ni and Cd, respectively. These metals were found to mainly affect the transcription level of genes involved in iron metabolism, transcriptional and translational processes, vitamin metabolism, blood coagulation, and calcium transport. In addition, a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) made using gene transcription levels yielded 94% correctly reassigned samples regarding their level of metal contamination, which indicates the potential of the microarray to detect perch response to Cd or Ni effects.
2013-09-19 | GSE50975 | GEO
Project description:Effects of insecticides on symbiotic bacteria of Cotton aphid
| PRJNA689863 | ENA
Project description:Sublethal effects on global genes expression of Ostriniafurnacalis
| PRJNA997010 | ENA
Project description:Bacterial community structures of four Predatory Natural Enemies collected from China Northern Cotton Field