Genome-wide transcriptional responses to Deepwater Horizon oil in red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) embryos and larvae. Sciaenops ocellatus

Purpose:To investigate the transcriptomic profiles in red drum embryos reflective of the DWH oil toxicity at different critical windows of development and to predict the most impacted biological processes and pathways based on differentially expressed gene transcripts at different developmental stages using High Throughput Sequencing (HTS). Methods:Total mRNA profiles of 24, 48, 72 hpf red drum larvae after slick and source oil exposure were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina HiSeq2500. Results:Oil type-dependent transcriptional effects were observed, with more significant by source oil exposure at 24 and 48 h, and similar responses by source and slick at 72 hpf. Informatic analyses indicated source oil exposure started significant perturbation in metabolism, AhR, visual, and cardiac-associated genes as early as 24 hpf. Both source and slick oil significantly affected EIF2 pathway, nervous and cardiovascular systems from 48 hpf to 72 hpf. Overall design: Total mRNA profiles of 24, 48, 72 hpf red drum larvae after slick and source oil exposure were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina HiSeq2500.

研究目的：本研究旨在通过高通量测序（High Throughput Sequencing, HTS）技术，分析不同发育关键时期红鼓鱼胚胎中反映深水地平线（Deepwater Horizon, DWH）原油毒性的转录组特征，并基于不同发育阶段的差异表达基因转录本，预测受影响最显著的生物学过程与信号通路。
实验方法：分别对经浮油（slick oil）与源油（source oil）暴露处理的受精后24、48、72小时（hours post fertilization, hpf）的红鼓鱼幼体，采用Illumina HiSeq2500平台进行深度测序，每组设置3次生物学重复，以此获取其总mRNA转录组特征。
研究结果：实验观察到原油类型依赖性的转录调控效应：在受精后24与48小时，源油暴露诱导的转录变化更为显著；而在72小时，源油与浮油暴露引发的转录响应趋于一致。生物信息学分析显示，源油暴露早在24小时即对代谢、芳香烃受体（aryl hydrocarbon receptor, AhR）、视觉系统与心脏相关基因产生显著扰动。自48小时至72小时，源油与浮油暴露均会显著影响EIF2通路、神经系统与心血管系统。
实验整体设计：分别对经浮油与源油暴露处理的受精后24、48、72小时的红鼓鱼幼体，采用Illumina HiSeq2500平台进行深度测序，每组设置3次生物学重复，以此获取其总mRNA转录组特征。