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:Purpose: We studied the potential effects of lindane aging in soil on model earthworm Eisenia fetida at the transcriptomic level. Methods: transcriptomes of earthworms were generated by RNA sequencing using Illumina Hiseq Xten platform. Results: There were 1325 DE unigenes in G2 (1074 up and 251 down), 784 DE unigenes in G3 (457 up and 327 down), 3658 DE unigenes in G4 (2294 up and 1364 down), and 1511 DE unigenes in G5 (929 up and 582 down) compared with G1. Except in G2, lindane exposure caused significant impacts on cholinergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission in earthworms in other groups. The metabolic processes of ACh were also altered. It was of note that the term positive regulation of locomotion (GO:0040017) in G5 could be regarded as the phenotype of the interaction of two NTs. Conclusions: We found that aging of lindane prior to exposure promoted the disrupting effects of lindane on earthworm neurotransmission.
Project description:Dietary intake of fruits and vegetables (FV) has been inversely associated with lower risk of ulcerative colitis. A pig model was used to evaluate the impact of feeding FV on the host response to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Methods: Six-week-old pigs were fed a grower diet alone or supplemented with lyophilized FV equivalent to the half (half-FV) or full (full-FV) daily levels recommended for humans by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Pigs were fed a 1) grower diet alone (negative control), 2) grower diet and orally treated with 4% DSS for 10 days to induce colitis (positive control), 3) half-FV diet treated with 4% DSS or 4) full-FV diet treated with 4% DSS. Pigs were monitored for the development of clinical signs of colitis. Proximal colon (PC) contents and mucosa (PCM) were collected for gut metagenome, tissue transcriptome and histopathological analysis. Results: Pigs fed the full-FV diet did not exhibit diarrhea, showed less fecal occult blood (FOB), PCM crypt hyperplasia but with no differential expressed genes (DEG) or changes in PC microbiome diversity (p < 0.05). Pigs within the half-FV group exhibited increased group FOB and DEG associated with tissue remodeling, crypt and goblet cell hyperplasia in the PCM and no changes in PC microbiome diversity and two pigs exhibiting diarrhea (p < 0.05). Pigs within the DSS positive control group exhibited a reduced DEG involved with intestinal immune response and PC microbiome diversity with altered metagenome, increased group PCM erosion and FOB with persistent diarrhea in one pig (p < 0.05) Conclusions: Overall, our results showed that pigs fed a three-week full-FV supplemented diet, were resistant to DSS-induced colitis with a differential dose-dependent protective effect on host intestinal tissue and gut metagenome when exposed to an inflammatory challenge.