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Gene expression profile changes in Eisenia fetida chronically exposed to PFOA

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Abstract

Eisenia fetida is a terrestrial organism, which can be used to diagnose sub-lethal concentrations of PFOA by using molecular biomarkers. In order to identify potential molecular biomarkers, we have exposed E. fetida to 10 mg/kg of PFOA in soil for 8 months. The mRNA isolation, sequencing, transcriptome assembly followed by differential gene expression studies have revealed that genes that are involved in apoptotic process, reproduction, calcium signalling, neuronal development and lipid metabolism are predominantly affected. Highly specific genes that are altered by PFOA can be further validated and used as biomarker to detect sub-lethal concentrations of PFOA in the soil.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Ramaciotti Centre for Genomics, The University of New South Wales, Sydney for mRNA sequencing and eResearch SA for computing facility. Mrs. Srinithi Mayilswami is a recipient of IPRS and CRCCARE top-up scholarships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, SA, 5095, Australia

    Srinithi Mayilswami

  2. Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC-CARE), Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, SA, 5095, Australia

    Srinithi Mayilswami, Kannan Krishnan, Mallavarapu Megharaj & Ravi Naidu

  3. Global Centre for Environmental Remediation, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia

    Kannan Krishnan, Mallavarapu Megharaj & Ravi Naidu

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  1. Srinithi Mayilswami
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  2. Kannan Krishnan
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  3. Mallavarapu Megharaj
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  4. Ravi Naidu
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Correspondence to Kannan Krishnan.

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Mayilswami, S., Krishnan, K., Megharaj, M. et al. Gene expression profile changes in Eisenia fetida chronically exposed to PFOA. Ecotoxicology 25, 759–769 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1634-x

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