We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Polyethylene microbeads induce transcriptional responses with tissue-dependent patterns in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed fish to polyethylene microbeads and measured gene expression across tissues, finding tissue-dependent transcriptional responses that suggest microplastic ingestion affects multiple physiological systems in distinct ways.
Plastics are one of the most ubiquitous and conspicuous environmental pollution threats accumulating in natural habitats worldwide. In the ocean, as a result of the actions of sunlight, wind and waves, plastic items are fragmented into microplastics, which are consumed by primary consumers such as filter-feeders, with detrimental consequences to these organisms. Despite the known harmful effects of microplastics, few data are available on their effects on marine invertebrates at the molecular level. The present study evaluates the expression of 12 genes associated with cellular stress, immune response and metabolism on four tissues (gills, digestive gland, haemolymph and mantle) of Mytilus galloprovincialis, after an acute (24 h) exposure to a concentration of 1.5E+7 microbeads of polyethylene per litre (ranging from 1 to 50 μm in size). Analysis showed up-regulation of genes relative to carbon metabolism, oxidative stress, immune response and apoptosis, in the mantle and digestive gland, while a global down-regulation of genes involve in carbon metabolism was observed in the haemolymph and gills. Altogether these results suggest disruptive and tissue-dependent effects on major biological processes following a short exposure to microplastics in M. galloprovincialis. This study provides the first evidence that ingestion of microbeads of polyethylene by filter-feeders induces changes in a tissue-dependent manner at the transcriptome level.
More Papers Like This
Uptake and transcriptional effects of polystyrene microplastics in larval stages of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed larval stages of a marine organism to polystyrene microplastics and measured gene expression changes, finding tissue-dependent transcriptional responses that suggest microplastics can affect development even at early life stages.
Single and repetitive microplastics exposures induce immune system modulation and homeostasis alteration in the edible mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined transcriptome-wide gene expression changes in Mediterranean mussels after single and repeated microplastic exposures, finding significant immune system modulation and disruption of cellular homeostasis. The study suggests that both short-term and chronic microplastic exposure can alter immune regulation pathways in filter-feeding bivalves, with repeated exposures showing cumulative effects.
Different recovery patterns of the surviving bivalve Mytilus galloprovincialis based on transcriptome profiling exposed to spherical or fibrous polyethylene microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used gene expression analysis to study how Mediterranean mussels respond to and recover from exposure to different shapes of polyethylene microplastics. They found that spherical and fibrous particles triggered distinct stress responses and different recovery patterns over a 14-day period. The study suggests that the shape of microplastics matters significantly in determining their biological impact on marine organisms.
Distinguish the toxic differentiations between acute exposure of micro- and nano-plastics on bivalves: An integrated study based on transcriptomic sequencing
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that nanoplastics are more toxic than microplastics in mussels, causing severe inflammatory responses and greater oxidative stress, with transcriptomic analysis revealing contrasting gene expression patterns between the two particle sizes.
Integrated multi-tissue analysis reveals distinct oxidative and metabolic reprogramming in response to contrasting microplastics in Mytilus coruscus
AI summary Read the abstract
Mussels exposed to two common types of microplastics, tiny beads and fibers, responded very differently: fiber-shaped plastics got stuck in gill tissue and caused lasting cell damage, while bead-shaped plastics were more easily processed and mainly triggered the mussel's energy systems to compensate. This matters because mussels and other shellfish are widely eaten by humans, and since fibers (a very common form of real-world plastic pollution from clothing and textiles) seem to linger longer and cause more harm, it suggests the shape of microplastics, not just their presence, could affect how much ends up in our seafood and
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.