Transcriptome analysis of damage mechanism of Candida utilis under U(VI) stress

Abstract

Marine radioactive pollution has a great impact on Marine microorganisms, but the damage mechanism by hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) exposure has been rarely known. In this study, Candida utilis (C. utilis) were exposed to U(VI) for 50, 100 and 150 mg/L, and then morphologic change and RNA-Seq in C. utilis were determined. U(VI) exposure significantly induced the changes of morphological characteristics of C. utilis. There were 39 DEGs in the 50 mg/L treated group, including 30 up-regulated genes and 9 down-regulated genes. There were 196 DEGs, 31 up-regulated and 165 down-regulated in the 100 mg/L treated group. The 150 mg/L treated group had 272 DEGs, 74 up-regulated and 198 down-regulated, compared with the control group. The results showed that the number of DEGs increased dose-dependently with U(VI) treatment. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the mechanism of radioactive wastewater damage to Marine microorganisms.