The regulation of copper stress response genes in the Polychaete Nereis diversicolor during prolonged extreme copper contamination
The regulation of copper stress response genes in the Polychaete Nereis diversicolor during prolonged extreme copper contamination
Polychaetes are frequented in toxicological studies, one reason being that some members occupy shallow burrows in sediments and are maximally exposed to the contaminants that accumulate within them. We have been studying one population of the polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor exhibiting inheritable tolerance to extreme copper contamination in estuarine sediment. Using transcriptome sequencing data we have identified a suite of genes with putative roles in metal detoxification and tolerance, and measured their regulation. Copper tolerant individuals display significantly different gene expression profiles compared to animals from a nearby population living without remarkable copper levels. Gene transcripts encoding principle copper homeostasis proteins including membrane copper ion transporters, copper ion chaperones and putative metallothionein-like proteins were significantly more abundant in tolerant animals occupying contaminated sediment. In contrast, those encoding antioxidants and cellular repair pathways were unchanged. Nontolerant animals living in contaminated sediment showed no difference in copper homeostasis-related gene expression but did have significantly elevated levels of mRNAs encoding Glutathione Peroxidase enzymes. This study represents the first use of functional genomics to investigate the copper tolerance trait in this species and provides insight into the mechanism used by these individuals to survive and flourish in conditions which are lethal to their conspecifics.
13085-13092
McQuillan, Jonathan S.
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Kille, Peter
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Powell, Kate
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Galloway, Tamara S.
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November 2014
McQuillan, Jonathan S.
697cdf72-f353-4779-b64a-45494f29772f
Kille, Peter
4a68e13f-4f94-41c5-8263-a8c4ffdb7f50
Powell, Kate
8bf7b7bc-baba-4992-892c-5f2148a6f263
Galloway, Tamara S.
e0aec50f-86d6-4f3d-817b-f32ec16e1a39
McQuillan, Jonathan S., Kille, Peter, Powell, Kate and Galloway, Tamara S.
(2014)
The regulation of copper stress response genes in the Polychaete Nereis diversicolor during prolonged extreme copper contamination.
Environmental Science & Technology, 48 (22), .
(doi:10.1021/es503622x).
Abstract
Polychaetes are frequented in toxicological studies, one reason being that some members occupy shallow burrows in sediments and are maximally exposed to the contaminants that accumulate within them. We have been studying one population of the polychaete Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor exhibiting inheritable tolerance to extreme copper contamination in estuarine sediment. Using transcriptome sequencing data we have identified a suite of genes with putative roles in metal detoxification and tolerance, and measured their regulation. Copper tolerant individuals display significantly different gene expression profiles compared to animals from a nearby population living without remarkable copper levels. Gene transcripts encoding principle copper homeostasis proteins including membrane copper ion transporters, copper ion chaperones and putative metallothionein-like proteins were significantly more abundant in tolerant animals occupying contaminated sediment. In contrast, those encoding antioxidants and cellular repair pathways were unchanged. Nontolerant animals living in contaminated sediment showed no difference in copper homeostasis-related gene expression but did have significantly elevated levels of mRNAs encoding Glutathione Peroxidase enzymes. This study represents the first use of functional genomics to investigate the copper tolerance trait in this species and provides insight into the mechanism used by these individuals to survive and flourish in conditions which are lethal to their conspecifics.
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Revised Manuscript_McQuillan_EST_102014_submitted.pdf
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: November 2014
Published date: November 2014
Organisations:
Ocean Technology and Engineering
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 371788
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/371788
ISSN: 0013-936X
PURE UUID: b086a3a7-2ffa-4007-92ba-9c6ee81526f7
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Date deposited: 14 Nov 2014 10:41
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 18:27
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Contributors
Author:
Jonathan S. McQuillan
Author:
Peter Kille
Author:
Kate Powell
Author:
Tamara S. Galloway
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