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Effect of legacy and emerging pollutants on genome-wide methylation patterns in black hake (Merluccius polli) natural populations
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A genome-wide methylation study of marine mussels exposed to heavy metals and microplastics in the wild found that pollutant exposure caused measurable epigenetic changes, demonstrating that DNA methylation patterns can serve as molecular biomarkers of environmental contamination in wild populations.
Exposure to pollutants such as non-essential metals and microplastics can have harmful consequences for marine organisms. Detecting the impact of pollutants in wild populations can be especially challenging. Such environmental disturbances might prompt rapid responses in the affected organisms, generating changes in their gene expression mediated by epigenetic regulation. Here we use an epiRADseq approach to determine the effect of four non-essential metals (As, Cd, Hg, Pb) and microplastics (MP) on the methylation pattern of Benguela hake, Merluccius polli, captured in the FAO fishing area 34, along the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal. We analysed 49 hake specimens and generated 44,201 epigenetic loci. Despite moderate levels of pollution identified from tissue analysis, we found significant differentially methylated loci associated with the level of the five pollutants analysed (119 significant loci for As, 134 for Cd, 92 for Hg, 119 for Pb, and 159 for microplastics). Elevated Pb was significantly associated with a reduction in hake condition factor. Differentially methylated loci were associated with diverse pathways associated to responses for all pollutants (e.g. immune response, gene expression regulation), pointing to signs of stress within the population. It is worth noting that all pollutants were differentially methylated for a locus in NLRC3, previously associated with innate immune response in fishes. Overall, we found evidence of the effects of moderate concentration of pollutants in the methylation pattern in wild populations of M. polli.
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Changes in global methylation patterns of Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to microplastics
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Researchers found that exposing mussels to polystyrene microplastics caused changes in their DNA methylation patterns, an epigenetic modification that controls how genes are turned on and off. Higher microplastic concentrations led to greater loss of methylation, and similar patterns were seen in wild mussels from polluted areas. This suggests microplastics could affect organisms at the genetic regulation level, potentially influencing metabolism and cell division.
Anthropogenic particles and legacy pollutants combined with transcriptomic and multi-biomarker responses for an integrated assessment of the health status of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis in two locations of the Bay of Biscay
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Researchers assessed the health status of mussels at two Bay of Biscay sites using microplastics, legacy pollutants, and multi-biomarker analysis, finding higher microplastic and PAH/PCB levels at one estuary site while the marina site showed greater metal contamination, DNA damage, and overall biological stress — demonstrating complex, location-specific pollution pressures on sentinel marine organisms.
Comparative multi-biomarker hazard assessment of weathered environmental microplastics and their DMSO-extractable leachates in Mytilus galloprovincialis.
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Mussels were exposed in the lab to weathered microplastics collected from a Moroccan beach, along with chemicals extracted from those particles. Both caused cell damage, but the extracted chemicals caused stronger DNA damage and changes in gene activity than the plastic particles themselves, varying by plastic type.
Microplastic exposure is associated with epigenomic effects in the model organism Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow)
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Researchers exposed fathead minnows to microplastics and found changes in DNA methylation -- a chemical modification that controls which genes are turned on or off -- across multiple organs including the brain, liver, and gonads. These epigenetic changes are heritable, meaning microplastic exposure could affect not just the exposed fish but also future generations, raising concerns about long-term ecological and evolutionary impacts.
Investigating the Epigenetic Effects of Polystyrene Nanoplastic Exposure in Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) Epithelial Cells Using Methylation-Sensitive AFLPs
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Researchers exposed bluegill fish cells to polystyrene nanoplastics and examined whether the exposure caused changes in DNA methylation, a type of genetic modification that can alter how genes function. They found that nanoplastic exposure did cause methylation changes across the genome, but the effect was not dependent on dose or exposure time -- simply being exposed to nanoplastics was enough to trigger the changes. The findings suggest that even low-level nanoplastic exposure could have epigenetic effects on aquatic organisms.
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