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Transcriptome analysis of avian livers reveals different molecular changes to three urban pollutants : Soot, artificial light at night and noise

Isaksson, C. LU orcid ; Ziegler, A. K. LU ; Powell, D. LU ; Gudmundsson, A. LU ; Andersson, M. N. LU and Rissler, J. LU (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.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
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
2025-07-11 20:46:53
@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}},
}