Transcriptional Analyses of Acute Exposure to Methylmercury on Erythrocytes of Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Javier Hernández-Fernández,
Andrés Pinzón-Velasco,
Ellie Anne López,
Pilar Rodríguez-Becerra,
Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez
Affiliations
Javier Hernández-Fernández
Department of Natural and Environmental Science, Marine Biology Program, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatic Research Group–GENBIMOL, Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Cra. 4 No 22-61, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Andrés Pinzón-Velasco
Bioinformática y Biología de Sistemas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Calle 45, Cra. 30, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
Ellie Anne López
IDEASA Research Group-Environment and Sustainability, Institute of Environmental Studies and Services, Sergio Arboleda University, Bogotá 111711, Colombia
Pilar Rodríguez-Becerra
Department of Natural and Environmental Science, Marine Biology Program, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatic Research Group–GENBIMOL, Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Cra. 4 No 22-61, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez
NCBI, NLM, NIH Computational Biology Branch, Building 38A, Room 6S614M 8600 Rockville Pike, MSC 6075, Bethesda, MD 20894-6075, USA
To understand changes in enzyme activity and gene expression as biomarkers of exposure to methylmercury, we exposed loggerhead turtle erythrocytes (RBCs) to concentrations of 0, 1, and 5 mg L−1 of MeHg and de novo transcriptome were assembled using RNA-seq. The analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) indicated that 79 unique genes were dysregulated (39 upregulated and 44 downregulated genes). The results showed that MeHg altered gene expression patterns as a response to the cellular stress produced, reflected in cell cycle regulation, lysosomal activity, autophagy, calcium regulation, mitochondrial regulation, apoptosis, and regulation of transcription and translation. The analysis of DEGs showed a low response of the antioxidant machinery to MeHg, evidenced by the fact that genes of early response to oxidative stress were not dysregulated. The RBCs maintained a constitutive expression of proteins that represented a good part of the defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by MeHg.
