Transcriptomic traces of adaptive changes and detoxification in Glyptotendipes tokunagai (Chironomidae) exposed to cadmium-based sediments environment

• Published in: Environmental advances Vol. 16; p. 100523
• Main Authors: Rangaswamy, Boobal, Kim, Won-Seok, Kong, Dongsoo, Kwak, Ihn-Sil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cadmium stress; Chironomids; Detoxification; Environmental pollution; Transcriptome; Cadmium stress; Environmental pollution; Chironomids; Transcriptome; Detoxification
• ISSN: 2666-7657; 2666-7657
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envadv.2024.100523

•Disruption of ion homeostasis initiated nerve system damage.•Impaired development, apoptosis, and autophagy were the potential risk thresholds.•Metabolic processes accelerated as a feedback mechanism to the energy crisis.•Cytochrome P450 genes mainly contributed cadmium detoxification mechanism. The chironomid Glyptotendipes tokunagai was chosen to study cadmium's ecotoxicity, owing to its prevalence in benthic sediments. Over 10 days, we exposed chironomids to three different concentrations of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) and examined their gene expression at maximal bioaccumulation levels. The results clearly showed 10275 significantly expressed genes with an average length of 795 bp. Ion homeostasis and Ca2+ ion transport were severely disrupted by Cadmium exposure, impairing the neurological system. Gene regulation indicated increased ROS due to cellular component process disruption, causing DNA damage, oxidative stress, and autophagy-mediated programmed cell death. Cadmium bioaccumulation hindered cuticle formation and growth, requiring more energy from the organism to resist the stress. An enriched detoxification route in response to the metabolic feedback mechanism was an aftereffect of energy deficiency related to their effective survival rate. The study has identified gene expression risk markers for signal transduction disruption, cellular development impairment, ATP synthesis-coupled energy deficit, and detoxification. These risk indicators must be closely monitored to ensure environmental safety. [Display omitted]