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Comparative transcriptomics reveals genes involved in metabolic and immune pathways in the digestive gland of scallop Chlamys farreri following cadmium exposure

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Abstract

Chlamys farreri is an economically important mollusk that can accumulate excessive amounts of cadmium (Cd). Studying the molecular mechanism of Cd accumulation in bivalves is difficult because of the lack of genome background. Transcriptomic analysis based on high-throughput RNA sequencing has been shown to be an efficient and powerful method for the discovery of relevant genes in non-model and genome reference-free organisms. Here, we constructed two cDNA libraries (control and Cd exposure groups) from the digestive gland of C. farreri and compared the transcriptomic data between them. A total of 227 673 transcripts were assembled into 105 071 unigenes, most of which shared high similarity with sequences in the NCBI non-redundant protein database. For functional classification, 24 493 unigenes were assigned to Gene Ontology terms. Additionally, EuKaryotic Ortholog Groups and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses assigned 12 028 unigenes to 26 categories and 7 849 unigenes to five pathways, respectively. Comparative transcriptomics analysis identified 3 800 unigenes that were differentially expressed in the Cd-treated group compared with the control group. Among them, genes associated with heavy metal accumulation were screened, including metallothionein, divalent metal transporter, and metal tolerance protein. The functional genes and predicted pathways identified in our study will contribute to a better understanding of the metabolic and immune system in the digestive gland of C. farreri. In addition, the transcriptomic data will provide a comprehensive resource that may contribute to the understanding of molecular mechanisms that respond to marine pollutants in bivalves.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dr. Yuefeng CAI (Ocean University of China) for useful advice and assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Hui Zhang  (张辉), Yuxiu Zhai  (翟毓秀), Lin Yao  (姚琳), Yanhua Jiang  (江艳华) & Fengling Li  (李风铃)

  2. Key Laboratory of Testing and Evaluation for Aquatic Product Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture, Qingdao, China

    Hui Zhang  (张辉), Yuxiu Zhai  (翟毓秀), Lin Yao  (姚琳), Yanhua Jiang  (江艳华) & Fengling Li  (李风铃)

  3. Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Products (Qingdao), Ministry of Agriculture, Qingdao, China

    Hui Zhang  (张辉), Yuxiu Zhai  (翟毓秀), Lin Yao  (姚琳), Yanhua Jiang  (江艳华) & Fengling Li  (李风铃)

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  1. Hui Zhang  (张辉)
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  2. Yuxiu Zhai  (翟毓秀)
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Correspondence to Yuxiu Zhai  (翟毓秀).

Additional information

Supported by the Shandong Provincial Post-Doctoral Special Fund Innovative Project (No. S43201403), the Post-Doctoral Applied Research Project of Qingdao City (No. Q51201413), and the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China (No. ZR2015PD004)

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Zhang, H., Zhai, Y., Yao, L. et al. Comparative transcriptomics reveals genes involved in metabolic and immune pathways in the digestive gland of scallop Chlamys farreri following cadmium exposure. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 35, 603–612 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-017-5305-4

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