Hydrocarbons mixture effect on Crassostrea virginica gonad transcriptomics and potential implications in reproduction. Crassostrea virginica

The Crassostrea virginica oyster has biological and economic importance in the Gulf of Mexico, an area of high extraction and production of hydrocarbons. Exposure to hydrocarbons can affect reproductive processes in bivalves. In C. virginica the effect of the hydrocarbons in the gonad of undifferentiated organism has not been evaluated to determine the possible damage during the maturation process. NGS analysis will contribute to a better understanding of the effect of hydrocarbons on the reproductive process of bivalves and, at the same time, allow us to identify possible biomarkers associated with hydrocarbon contamination in the gonad of C. virginica.