Transcriptome analysis of avian livers reveals different molecular changes to three urban pollutants : Soot, artificial light at night and noise
(2024) In Environmental Pollution 358.- Abstract
Identifying key molecular pathways and genes involved in the response to urban pollutants is an important step in furthering our understanding of the impact of urbanisation on wildlife. The expansion of urban habitats and the associated human-introduced environmental changes are considered a global threat to the health and persistence of humans and wildlife. The present study experimentally investigates how short-term exposure to three urban-related pollutants -soot, artificial light at night (ALAN) and traffic noise-affects transcriptome-wide gene expression in livers from captive female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Compared to unexposed controls, 17, 52, and 28 genes were differentially expressed in soot, ALAN and... (More)
Identifying key molecular pathways and genes involved in the response to urban pollutants is an important step in furthering our understanding of the impact of urbanisation on wildlife. The expansion of urban habitats and the associated human-introduced environmental changes are considered a global threat to the health and persistence of humans and wildlife. The present study experimentally investigates how short-term exposure to three urban-related pollutants -soot, artificial light at night (ALAN) and traffic noise-affects transcriptome-wide gene expression in livers from captive female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Compared to unexposed controls, 17, 52, and 28 genes were differentially expressed in soot, ALAN and noise-exposed birds, respectively. In soot-exposed birds, the enriched gene ontology (GO) terms were associated with a suppressed immune system such as interferon regulating genes (IRGs) and responses to external stimuli. For ALAN-exposed birds, enriched GO terms were instead based on downregulated genes associated with detoxification, redox, hormonal-, and metabolic processes. Noise exposure resulted in downregulation of genes associated with the GO terms: cellular responses to substances, catabolic and cytokine responses. Among the individually differentially expressed genes (DEGs), soot led to an increased expression of genes related to tumour progression. Likewise, ALAN revealed an upregulation of multiple genes linked to different cancer types. Both sensory pollutants (ALAN and noise) led to increased expression of genes linked to neuronal function. Interestingly, noise caused upregulation of genes associated with serotonin regulation and function (SLC6A4 and HTR7), which previous studies have shown to be under selection in urban birds. These outcomes indicate that short-term exposure to the three urban pollutants perturbate the liver transcriptome, but most often in different ways, which highlights future studies of multiple-stress exposure and their interactive effects, along with their long-term impacts for urban-dwelling wildlife.
(Less)
- author
- Isaksson, C.
LU
; Ziegler, A. K. LU ; Powell, D. LU ; Gudmundsson, A. LU ; Andersson, M. N. LU and Rissler, J. LU
- organization
-
- Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology (research group)
- BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
- LTH Profile Area: Aerosols
- Evolutionary ecology and infection biology
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab (research group)
- Department of Biology
- Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology
- MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system
- NanoLund: Centre for Nanoscience
- Metalund
- LTH Profile Area: Nanoscience and Semiconductor Technology
- LU Profile Area: Light and Materials
- Sensory Biology
- Pheromone Group (research group)
- Functional zoology
- publishing date
- 2024-10
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- ALAN, Gene expression, Particulate matter, Sensory pollution, Zebra finch
- in
- Environmental Pollution
- volume
- 358
- article number
- 124461
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:38964643
- scopus:85197283295
- ISSN
- 0269-7491
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124461
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- de30c1ed-b018-4761-995e-aeb2493e8eac
- date added to LUP
- 2024-09-05 15:33:18
- date last changed
- 2024-09-05 15:33:50
@article{de30c1ed-b018-4761-995e-aeb2493e8eac, abstract = {{<p>Identifying key molecular pathways and genes involved in the response to urban pollutants is an important step in furthering our understanding of the impact of urbanisation on wildlife. The expansion of urban habitats and the associated human-introduced environmental changes are considered a global threat to the health and persistence of humans and wildlife. The present study experimentally investigates how short-term exposure to three urban-related pollutants -soot, artificial light at night (ALAN) and traffic noise-affects transcriptome-wide gene expression in livers from captive female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Compared to unexposed controls, 17, 52, and 28 genes were differentially expressed in soot, ALAN and noise-exposed birds, respectively. In soot-exposed birds, the enriched gene ontology (GO) terms were associated with a suppressed immune system such as interferon regulating genes (IRGs) and responses to external stimuli. For ALAN-exposed birds, enriched GO terms were instead based on downregulated genes associated with detoxification, redox, hormonal-, and metabolic processes. Noise exposure resulted in downregulation of genes associated with the GO terms: cellular responses to substances, catabolic and cytokine responses. Among the individually differentially expressed genes (DEGs), soot led to an increased expression of genes related to tumour progression. Likewise, ALAN revealed an upregulation of multiple genes linked to different cancer types. Both sensory pollutants (ALAN and noise) led to increased expression of genes linked to neuronal function. Interestingly, noise caused upregulation of genes associated with serotonin regulation and function (SLC6A4 and HTR7), which previous studies have shown to be under selection in urban birds. These outcomes indicate that short-term exposure to the three urban pollutants perturbate the liver transcriptome, but most often in different ways, which highlights future studies of multiple-stress exposure and their interactive effects, along with their long-term impacts for urban-dwelling wildlife.</p>}}, author = {{Isaksson, C. and Ziegler, A. K. and Powell, D. and Gudmundsson, A. and Andersson, M. N. and Rissler, J.}}, issn = {{0269-7491}}, keywords = {{ALAN; Gene expression; Particulate matter; Sensory pollution; Zebra finch}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{Elsevier}}, series = {{Environmental Pollution}}, title = {{Transcriptome analysis of avian livers reveals different molecular changes to three urban pollutants : Soot, artificial light at night and noise}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124461}}, doi = {{10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124461}}, volume = {{358}}, year = {{2024}}, }