Next-generation sequencing facilitates metal homeostasis and intoxication studies

Purpose: Analyze transcriptome changes in response to metal treatment in wildtype and sensitized genetic backgrounds. Methods: Zinc or manganese chloride supplementation of wildtype or mutant Drosophila S2R+ cultured cells, followed by RNA extraction. Results: Zinc chloride supplementation induces transcriptional responses in wildtype, ia-2 mutant, and ZnT63C mutant cells. Conclusions: Wildtype S2R+ cells have a transcriptional response to mild zinc chloride supplementation and the zinc response is greater (in degree and in number of genes) in genetically sensitized cell backgrounds that perturb zinc mobilization. The mRNA profiles of wild type or mutant S2R+ cells treated with 1mM ZnCl2 or MnCl2 for 24 hours, or untreated control cells, were generated by deep sequencing, in replicate, using Illumina HiSeq2000.