title: Molecular evidence of the toxic effects of diatom diets on gene expression patterns in copepods.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diatoms are dominant photosynthetic organisms in the world's oceans and are considered essential in the transfer of energy through marine food chains. However, these unicellular plants at times produce secondary metabolites such as polyunsaturated aldehydes and other products deriving from the oxidation of fatty acids that are collectively termed oxylipins. These cytotoxic compounds are responsible for growth inhibition and teratogenic activity, potentially sabotaging future generations of grazers by inducing poor recruitment in marine organisms such as crustacean copepods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we show that two days of feeding on a strong oxylipin-producing diatom (Skeletonema marinoi) is sufficient to inhibit a series of genes involved in aldehyde detoxification, apoptosis, cytoskeleton structure and stress response in the copepod Calanus helgolandicus. Of the 18 transcripts analyzed by RT-qPCR at least 50% were strongly down-regulated (aldehyde dehydrogenase 9, 8 and 6, cellular apoptosis susceptibility and inhibitor of apoptosis IAP proteins, heat shock protein 40, alpha- and beta-tubulins) compared to animals fed on a weak oxylipin-producing diet (Chaetoceros socialis) which showed no changes in gene expression profiles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide molecular evidence of the toxic effects of strong oxylipin-producing diatoms on grazers, showing that primary defense systems that should be activated to protect copepods against toxic algae can be inhibited. On the other hand other classical detoxification genes (glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, cytochrome P450) were not affected possibly due to short exposure times. Given the importance of diatom blooms in nutrient-rich aquatic environments these results offer a plausible explanation for the inefficient use of a potentially valuable food resource, the spring diatom bloom, by some copepod species.
authors: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy.
authors: Chiara
authors: C
authors: Lauritano
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Borra
authors: Ylenia
authors: Y
authors: Carotenuto
authors: Elio
authors: E
authors: Biffali
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Miralto
authors: Gabriele
authors: G
authors: Procaccini
authors: Adrianna
authors: A
authors: Ianora
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D033342:Copepoda / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017377:Diatoms / Q000378:metabolism*; D004032:Diet; D015536:Down-Regulation; D020387:Food Chain; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D054883:Oxylipins