MicroRNA profiles in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) larvae exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil

Purpose:To help identify molecular regulatory mechanisms of developmental toxicity for fish exposed to Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil, microRNA profiles in red drum larvae exposed to different DWH oils (source/mass and artificially weathered oil) were evaluated using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS). Methods:Total microRNA profiles of 48 hpf red drum larvae after source oil (0.135%, 0.27%, and 0.54%) and slick oil (1.25%, 2.5% and 5%) exposure were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina NextSeq 500. Results: Source and slick oil significantly dysregulated the expression of miR-18a, miR-27b, and miR-203a across all exposure concentrations. The target genes of these miRNAs were predominantly involved in the neuro-cardio system development processes and associated key signaling pathways such as axonal guidance signaling, CREB signaling in neurons, synaptic long-term potentiation pathway, calcium signaling and role of NFAT in cardiac hypertrophy. Overall design: Total microRNA profiles of 48hpf red drum larvae after slick and source oil exposure were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina NextSeq 500.