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. 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.