Evaluation of phenanthrene toxicity on earthworm (Eisenia fetida): An ecotoxicoproteomics approach

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2013-10, Vol.93 (6), p.963-971
• Main Authors: Wu, Shijin, Xu, Xian, Zhao, Shiliang, Shen, Feichao, Chen, Jianmeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; ATP Synthetase Complexes - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - metabolism; biosynthesis; earthworms; ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on protozoa and invertebrates; Eisenia fetida; electron transfer; energy metabolism; Environmental Monitoring - methods; epithelium; fatty acids; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression regulation; glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases - metabolism; glycolysis; H-transporting ATP synthase; image analysis; MALDI-TOF MS/MS; matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry; monitoring; Oligochaeta - metabolism; oxidation; oxygen; Peptide Fragments - metabolism; Phenanthrene; Phenanthrenes - toxicity; Phosphotransferases (Nitrogenous Group Acceptor) - metabolism; protein folding; protein synthesis; proteins; Proteins - metabolism; proteolysis; Proteome - metabolism; Proteomics; soil ecology; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; soil pollution; toxicity; two-dimensional gel electrophoresis
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.05.062

•An ecotoxicoproteomics approach.•A functional profile of the phenanthrene-responsive proteins in earthworms.•Novel biomarkers for monitoring the levels of phenanthrene contamination in soils. The goal of this study was to identify promising new biomarkers of phenanthrene by identifying differentially expressed proteins in Eisenia fetida after exposure to phenanthrene. Extracts of earthworm epithelium collected at days 2, 7, 14, and 28 after phenanthrene exposure were analyzed by two dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and quantitative image analysis. Comparing the intensity of protein spots, 36 upregulated proteins and 45 downregulated proteins were found. Some of the downregulated and upregulated proteins were verified by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS and database searching. Downregulated proteins in response to phenanthrene exposure were involved in glycolysis, energy metabolism, chaperones, proteolysis, protein folding and electron transport. In contrast, oxidation reduction, oxygen transport, defense systems response to pollutant, protein biosynthesis and fatty acid biosynthesis were upregulated in phenanthrene-treated E. fetida. In addition, ATP synthase b subunit, lysenin-related protein 2, lombricine kinase, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, actinbinding protein, and extracellular globin-4 seem to be potential biomarkers since these biomarker were able to low levels (2.5mgkg−1) of phenanthrene. Our study provides a functional profile of the phenanthrene-responsive proteins in earthworms. The variable levels and trends in these spots could play a potential role as novel biomarkers for monitoring the levels of phenanthrene contamination in soil ecosystems.