Project description:To understand molecular mechanisms of the joint effects of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), both widely used ordnance compounds, we constructed a microarray consisting of 4,032 cDNA isolated from the earthworm Eisenia fetida using the suppressive subtractive hybridization technique. Worms were exposed to TNT-, RDX-, or TNT+RDX-spiked soil for 28 days (TNT 50 mg/kg, RDX 30 mg/kg). Keywords: Combined toxicity of TNT and RDX to earthworm (Eisenia fetida)
Project description:To understand molecular mechanisms of the chronic, sublethal toxicity of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), a widely used ordnance compound of public concerns, we constructed a microarray consisting of 4,032 cDNA isolated from the earthworm Eisenia fetida using the suppressive subtractive hybridization technique. Worms were exposed to a gradient of TNT-spiked soil for 28 days. Based on the reproduction response to TNT, four treatments, i.e., control, 7, 35 and 139 ppm, were selected for gene expression studies. Keywords: Sublethal toxicity of TNT (dose-response) to earthworm (Eisenia fetida)
Project description:To understand molecular mechanisms of the joint effects of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), both widely used ordnance compounds, we constructed a microarray consisting of 4,032 cDNA isolated from the earthworm Eisenia fetida using the suppressive subtractive hybridization technique. Worms were exposed to TNT-, RDX-, or TNT+RDX-spiked soil for 28 days (TNT 50 mg/kg, RDX 30 mg/kg). Keywords: Combined toxicity of TNT and RDX to earthworm (Eisenia fetida) We analyzed 40 arrays for 4 treatments (control, TNT 50ppm, RDX 30ppm, TNT 50ppm + RDX 30ppm) with 5 biological replicates per treatment using an interwoven loop design.
Project description:Motivation: Monitoring, assessment and prediction of environmental risks that chemicals pose demand rapid and accurate diagnostic assays. A variety of toxicological effects have been associated with explosive compounds TNT, RDX and HMX. One important goal of microarray experiments is to discover novel biomarker genes for quantitative phenotypic prediction. We have developed an earthworm microarray containing 15,208 unique oligo probes. Our objective was to identify biomarker genes that can be used to quantitatively predict earthworm tissue residues of the explosives compounds that they were exposed to and took in from the HMX-spiked soil. Results: We collected a large microarray gene expression and earthworm tissue residue dataset. First, differentially expressed genes were identified for each exposure duration (4, 14 and 28 days). These genes were used in multivariate regression modeling for HMX residue prediction. Eighteen different regression models were tested and compared. The best performing model was able to achieve very high prediction accuracies with R2 values of 0.715, 0.728 and 0.822 for 4 days, 14 days and 28 days exposures, separately. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that multivariate regression coupled with high throughput microarray gene expression was a promising approach to quantitative phenotypic prediction.
Project description:Earthworms enhance plant growth but the precise mechanism by which this occurs is not known. An understanding of the mechanism could potentially support changes in agricultural management reducing fertiliser usage and therefore costs and the carbon footprint of agriculture. We conducted a factorial experiment in which 5 strains of wheat were grown in the presence and absence of earthworms under regular watering and droughted conditions. The different wheat strains all responded in a similar fashion. Plant biomass was greater in the presence of earthworms and under regular watering. The presence of earthworms reduced the impact of drought on plant biomass and also slowed down the rate of drying of the droughted soils. Plant nutrient content (N, P, Si) showed no consistent pattern with treatments but total N, P and Si mirrored plant biomass and decreased in the order earthworm-present watered > earthworm-present droughted > earthworm-absent watered > earthworm-absent droughted. Nutrient availability in the soil, as assessed by chemical extractions showed no consistent pattern with treatments. Differential gene expression of plants was greater between watering treatments than between earthworm treatments. Genes that were differentially expressed between the earthworm treatments predominantly related to plant defences, abiotic stress and control of plant growth though a couple were linked to both nitrogen cycling and stress responses. The soil microbiome of the earthworm-present treatments was more associated with nutrient-rich environments, the promotion of plant growth and the suppression of plant pathogens. Our data suggest that enhanced plant growth was due to changes in the microbiome due to earthworm processing of the soil rather than changes in nutrient availability due to the presence of earthworms.
Project description: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.
Project description:The association between kidney stone disease and renal fibrosis has been widely explored in recent years but its underlying mechanisms remain far from complete understanding. Using label-free quantitative proteomics (nanoLC-ESI-LTQ-Orbitrap MS/MS), this study identified 23 significantly altered secreted proteins from calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM)-exposed macrophages (COM-MP) compared with control macrophages (Ctrl-MP) secretome. Functional annotation and protein-protein interactions network analysis revealed that these altered secreted proteins were involved mainly in inflammatory response and fibroblast activation. BHK-21 renal fibroblasts treated with COM-MP secretome had more spindle-shaped morphology with greater spindle index. Immunofluorescence study and gelatin zymography revealed increased levels of fibroblast activation markers (α-smooth muscle actin and F-actin) and fibrotic factors (fibronectin and matrix metalloproteinase-9 and -2) in the COM-MP secretome-treated fibroblasts. Our findings indicate that proteins secreted from macrophages exposed to COM crystals induce renal fibroblast activation and may play important roles in renal fibrogenesis in kidney stone disease.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE16536: Using pooled earthworm RNA to test 244K probes on TA-1 test array design 2520022 sense 1 GSE16548: Using pooled earthworm RNA to test 244K probes on TA-2 test array design 2520023 antisense 1 GSE16549: Using pooled earthworm RNA to test 244K probes on TA-3 test array design 2520024 sense 2 GSE16550: Using pooled earthworm RNA to test 244K probes on TA-4 test array design 2520025 antisense 2 Refer to individual Series
Project description:Single-cell mRNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies are reshaping the current cell-type classification system. In previous studies, we built the mouse cell atlas (MCA) and human cell landscape (HCL) to catalog all cell types by collecting scRNA-seq data. However, systematically study for zebrafish (Danio rerio), fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and earthworm (Eisenia andrei) are still lacking. Here, we construct the zebrafish, Drosophila and earthworm cell atlas with Microwell-seq protocols, which provides valuable resources for characterization of diverse cell populations of zebrafish, Drosophila and earthworm, and studying difference between vertebrates and Invertebrates at single cell level.