Abstract
Plastic pollution is one of the leading environmental problems. Phthalates are widely used plastic additives released into the environment. Although the effects of phthalates on vertebrates have been extensively studied, there is a knowledge gap regarding their effects on invertebrates. This work analyzes the impact of three phthalates, diethyl phthalate (DEP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), and bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), on the gastropod Physella acuta at the molecular level to establish the putative pathways involved in its response to them. By real-time PCR, we obtained the expression profile of 30 genes in animals exposed for 1 week to 0.1, 10, and 1000 μg/L of each phthalate. The genes cover DNA repair, detoxification, apoptosis, oxidative and stress responses, immunity, energy reserves, and lipid transport. The results show that while DEP and DEHP did not alter the mRNA levels, BBP modulated almost all the analyzed genes. It can be concluded that the impact of BBP is extensive at the molecular level. However, it cannot be dismissed that the increase in transcriptional activity is a general response due to this compound’s well-known role as an endocrine disruptor. Additional research is needed to elucidate the differences observed in the impact of these compounds on the gastropod P. acuta.
Highlights
Plastic pollution is one of the leading environmental problems
Two of the genes coded for proteins homologous to RAD21 and RAD50, which are involved in repairing DNA damage[21,22]
The other genes coded for proteins related to apoptosis; stress; histone modification; DNA methylation (DNA methyltransferase 1 [DNMT1]); the immune system (L-amino acid oxidase Aplysianin-A [ApA]); one cytochrome P450 (Cyp72a15), energy reserves, and lipid transport
Summary
Plastic pollution is one of the leading environmental problems. Phthalates are widely used plastic additives released into the environment. This work analyzes the impact of three phthalates, diethyl phthalate (DEP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), and bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), on the gastropod Physella acuta at the molecular level to establish the putative pathways involved in its response to them. As the phthalate plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC, they can leach, migrate, or evaporate into indoor air and the atmosphere, foodstuffs, and other materials. Their worldwide production increased from 2.7 to nearly 6 million tons per year during the decade of 2007–20172, and they are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Similarity PREDICTED: double-strand-break repair protein rad[21] homolog—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: DNA repair protein RAD50-like—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: cholinesterase 1-like—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: catalase-like—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: apoptosis-inducing factor 3-like—Biomphalaria glabrata cytochrome P450 72A15—Aplysia californica DNA methyltransferase 1, partial—Aplysia californica PREDICTED: histone acetyltransferase KAT6B-like—Biomphalaria glabrata probable histone deacetylase 1-B—Aplysia californica PREDICTED: heat shock protein Hsp-12.2-like—Biomphalaria glabrata Aplysianin-A; Precursor—Aplysia kurodai PREDICTED: oxysterol-binding protein-related protein 8-like—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase-like—Biomphalaria glabrata superoxide dismutase—Mn, mitochondrial-like—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: heat shock 70 kDa protein cognate 4—Biomphalaria glabrata PREDICTED: hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha-like, partial—Biomphalaria glabrata glycogen phosphorylase, brain form—Aplysia californica ACTB_G1—Mytilus coruscus
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