Transcriptome and computational approaches highlighting the molecular regulation of Zacco platypus induced by mesocosm exposure to common disinfectant chlorine

Thodhal Yoganandham Suman; Soo-Yeon Kim; Dong-Hyuk Yeom; Younghoon Jang; Tae-Yong Jeong; Junho Jeon

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137989

Transcriptome and computational approaches highlighting the molecular regulation of Zacco platypus induced by mesocosm exposure to common disinfectant chlorine

Chemosphere. 2023 Apr:319:137989. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137989. Epub 2023 Jan 31.

Authors

Thodhal Yoganandham Suman¹, Soo-Yeon Kim², Dong-Hyuk Yeom², Younghoon Jang³, Tae-Yong Jeong⁴, Junho Jeon⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, Republic of Korea; School of Smart and Green Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, Republic of Korea.
² Gyeongnam Branch Institute, Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT), Jinju-si, 52834, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Biology and Chemistry, Changwon National University, Changwon, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Environmental Science, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 81, Oedae-ro, Mohyeon-eup,Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Department of Environmental Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, Republic of Korea; School of Smart and Green Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Gyeongsangnamdo, 51140, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jjh0208@changwon.ac.kr.

PMID: 36736481
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137989

Abstract

Chlorine (Cl₂) is a disinfectant often used in swimming pools and water treatment facilities. However, it is released into aquatic ecosystems, where it may harm non-targeted organisms. Here, we performed a mesocosm experiment exposing Zacco platypus (Z. platypus) to biocide Cl₂ for 30 days (30 d) at two days' time points 15 days (15 d) and 30 d samples were collected. Here, Z. platypus was exposed to a sublethal concentration (0.1 mg/L) of Cl₂, and comparative transcriptomics analyses were performed to determine their response mechanisms at the molecular level. According to RNA sequencing of the whole-body transcriptome, 860 and 1189 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the 15 d and 30 d responses to Cl₂, respectively. After enrichment analysis of GO (Gene Ontology) functions and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways, identified DEGs were demonstrated to be associated with a variety of functions, including "ion binding and transmembrane transporters". Cl₂ also induced oxidative stress in Z. platypus by increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) while decreasing the catalase (CAT) content and the levels of solute carrier family 22 member 11 (slc22a11), Caspase-8 (casp-8), inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2), cytosolic phospholipase A2 gamma (PLA2G4). However, Z. platypus still allows recovery during stress suspension by increasing the expression levels of solute carrier family proteins. The GO and KEGG annotation results revealed that the expression of DEGs were related to the detoxification process, immune response, and antioxidant mechanism. Additionally, protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) and cytoHubba analyses identified sixteen hub genes and their interaction. These findings elucidate the regulation of various DEGs and signaling pathways in response to Cl₂ exposure, which will improve our knowledge and laid foundation for further investigation of the toxicity of Cl₂ to Z. platypus.

Keywords: Antioxidant mechanism; Chlorine; Detoxification process; Immune response; Mesocosm; Molecular function; Transcriptome; Zacco platypus.

MeSH terms

Animals
Chlorine / toxicity
Computational Biology / methods
Disinfectants* / toxicity
Ecosystem
Gene Expression Profiling / methods
Platypus*
Transcriptome

Substances

Chlorine
Disinfectants