Ecotoxicity of silver nanoparticles on the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using functional ecotoxicogenomics

Gene expression analysis was conducted on the wildtype Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using whole genome microarray. Differentially expressed genes from the microarray were selected for the quantitative analysis. The microarray study was conducted in an ecotoxicological context: the integration of gene expression with organism and population level endpoints (survival, growth, reproduction) was investigated, to test the ecotoxicological relevance of AgNPs-induced gene expression. Results provide insight into the global transcription response of C.elegans to AgNPs exposure and also contribute to enhance the potential of C.elegans microarray in ecotoxicology (ecotoxicogenomics). key word: ecotoxicogenomics Young adults of wildtype C.elegans from age-synchronized population were exposed to 0.1mg/L of AgNPs for 24 h and RNA extraction and hybridization were subsequently conducted using C.elegans Genome array (Affymetrix).