Transcriptome effects of oil and environmental conditions on Gulf of Mexico killifish (Fundulus grandis) larvae

Although the toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) in fishes has been well-studied, the mechanisms by which PAHs exert their toxicity are not well understood. Previous work showed that the toxicity of PAHs to fish larvae was enhanced under hypoxia. Therefore, the objective of this work was to use transcriptomics to unravel the molecular changes occurring after co-exposure to both stressors. Gulf of Mexico killifish (Fundulus grandis) larvae (< 24 hours post hatch) were exposed to varying oxygen levels (dissolved oxygen 2, 6 ppm) combined with a low concentration of high energy water accommodated fractions (HEWAF) (∑PAHs 15ppb) for a total of either 24 hours (hypoxia) or 48 hours (normoxia). Transcriptional changes were quantified using RNA-Seq. There were more differentially expressed genes induced by PAH exposure (380) than hypoxia (110). This dataset supports the publications of: Allmon, Elizabeth, Jennifer Serafin, Shuai Chen, Maria L. Rodgers, Robert Griffitt, Thijs Bosker, Sylvain de Guise, Maria S. Sepúlveda. (2020) Effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and abiotic stressors on Fundulus grandis cardiac transcriptomics. Science of the Total Environment 752(15): 142156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142156 Jones, Elizabeth R., Danielle Simning, Jenifer Serafin, Maria S. Sepúlveda, Robert J. Griffitt. (2020) Acute exposure to oil induces age and species-specific transcriptional responses in embryo-larval estuarine fish. Environmental Pollution. 263(Pt B):114325. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114325.