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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Pollution
Volume 11 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1425221
Transcriptome responses to benzo[a]pyrene in liver slices of sub-arctic fish species
Provisionally accepted- University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Due to the expanding oil-related activities, the arctic and sub-arctic marine environments are increasingly vulnerable to oil-related pollution such as accidental oil spills. These cold-water ecosystems harbor many fish species that are both ecologically and economically important such as the pelagic polar cod (Boreogadus saida), capelin (Mallotus villosus), and benthic long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides). The latter two are much less studied and it is crucial to characterize their responses to oil-related contaminants and develop molecular biomarkers and genomic resources for future monitoring. In this study, liver slice preparation and culture methods were used to characterize the transcriptome responses (using RNA-seq) in capelin and long rough dab to exposures of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compound benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). The liver slice culture and exposure experiments were performed onboard a research vessel in the Barents Sea. Many genes were differentially expressed in the BaP-exposed liver slices of capelin and long rough dab. Strong up-regulation of genes involved in biotransformation, particularly the aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling pathway was observed in both species. A comparison of the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with previously published polar cod exposures indicates that the latter responded more strongly (higher number of genes), suggesting higher uptake and bioconcentration of BaP in the fatty liver tissue, although other factors such as differences in clearance rate could potentially affect the responses. This study provides new genomic resources and gene expression biomarkers in capelin and long rough dab, enhancing our understanding of their response mechanism to oil-related contaminants.
Keywords: capelin, Long rough dab, American plaice, oil spill, Aryl hydrocarbon receptor
Received: 29 Apr 2024; Accepted: 29 Aug 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Brun, Yadetie, Liestøl, Karlsen and Goksøyr. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Nadja R. Brun, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Fekadu Yadetie, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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