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The Impact of Microplastics on Tissue-specific Gene Expression in the Tropical House Cricket, G. sigillatus
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Researchers examined tissue-specific gene expression responses in tropical house crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) fed microplastics, using RNA sequencing across midgut, hindgut, fat body, and ovary tissues to reveal impacts on immune function and mitochondrial activity.
Microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment, resulting in animal exposure and consumption via various means, such as food, water, and air. Animals that consume microplastics may undergo physiological changes such as immunotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study, I measured the transcriptomic responses to microplastic consumption in the tropical house cricket species Gryllodes sigillatus. Using RNA-Sequencing at the tissue-specific levels (midgut, hindgut, fat body and ovaries), I provide comprehensive insight on how microplastics impact specific organ systems. Here, I used the assembler ‘Trinity’ to generate a de novo transcriptome, as there is currently no genome established for this G. sigillatus to date. This transcriptome was then used to infer differential gene expression due to microplastic consumption. Ingestion of microplastics elicited unique changes in gene expression depending on the tissue of focus, and induced changes in pathways related to metabolism, immunity, cancer, stress, and survival.
More Papers Like This
The impact of microplastics on tissue-specific gene expression in the tropical house cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers fed microplastics to tropical house crickets and measured gene expression changes across four different tissue types. They found that microplastic consumption triggered unique responses in each tissue, with notable changes in genes related to stress, immunity, metabolism, and even cancer pathways. The study demonstrates that microplastic exposure affects different organs in distinct ways, highlighting the complexity of how plastic pollution impacts living organisms.
Suborganismal responses of the aquatic midge Chironomus riparius to polyethylene microplastics
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Researchers exposed Chironomus riparius larvae to polyethylene microplastics and used transcriptomics and metabolomics to characterize suborganismal responses, finding disruption of oxidative stress pathways, energy metabolism, and cuticle synthesis — effects not captured by standard life-history endpoints alone.
The Fate of Microplastics Ingested by Gryllodes sigillatus
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This thesis investigated the fate of microplastics ingested by the banded cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus), developing a new protocol for extracting and quantifying microplastics from insect tissues. The study also explored how crickets process and potentially fragment ingested plastic particles.
Developmental Effects of Microplastic Ingestion on the Tropical House Cricket Gryllodes sigillatus
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Researchers fed crickets diets containing different concentrations of polyethylene microbeads and polyester microfibers, finding that both types reduced body weight gain and development compared to controls. This is one of the few studies on microplastic effects on terrestrial insects, which are important for food webs, pollination, and nutrient cycling.
The effects of environmental Microplastic on wharf roach (Ligia exotica): A Multi-Omics approach
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Wild wharf roaches collected from a microplastic-contaminated South Korean shoreline had 50 times more plastic particles in their guts than roaches from a cleaner site, and the contaminated animals also carried elevated levels of brominated flame retardants leached from the polystyrene foam they had ingested. Gene expression analysis revealed that the contaminated roaches showed altered immune, metabolic, and stress-response pathways. Because wharf roaches are a key detritus-consuming species in coastal ecosystems, this study demonstrates that microplastic pollution can have cascading biological effects from the base of the food web.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.