Influence of lead exposure on growth and transcriptome in wolf spider Pardosa laura

Abstract

As a raw material commonly used in industrial production, Pb is often found in the released waste, posing a serious threat to ecosystem and human. Pardosa laura (Araneae: Lycosidae) is one of the most dominant species of spider found in farmland ecosystem and plays a very important role in Pb transfer among the food web. To comprehensively understand the toxicological effects of Pb on spider, we delivered Pb to Pardosa laura through diet, and investigated the Pb effect on spider growth, antioxidase activities and transcriptome. Specifically, Pb hindered the spider growth and resulted in a reduced survival rate. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were enhanced in the Pb-exposed spider, while no significant change was found in the glutathione S-transferase activity. 117 up-regulated genes and 60 down-regulated genes were identified in the Pb-exposed spider by using transcriptome sequencing, and these DEGs were mainly enriched in oxidoreductase activity, transmembrane transport, fat digestion and absorption, peptidase activity, apoptosis, peptidase activity and lysosome. The results of this study contribute to the better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the spider response to Pb.