Georgescu Marius, Drăghici George Andrei, Oancea Eliza-Florentina, Dehelean Cristina Adriana, Şoica Codruţa, Vlăduţ Nicolae-Valentin, Nica Dragoș Vasile
Department of Functional Sciences, Physiology Discipline, "Victor Babeș" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Sq. no. 2, 300041 Timișoara, Romania.
Center of Immuno-Physiology and Biotechnologies (CIFBIOTEH), "Victor Babeș" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, Eftimie Murgu Sq. no. 2, 300041 Timișoara, Romania.
Toxics. 2021 Nov 15;9(11):306. doi: 10.3390/toxics9110306.
An extensive literature exists regarding the cellular, physiological, and genetic effects of cadmium (Cd)-A highly toxic, but commonly used trace metal in modern industry. However, limited data are available on its epigenetic effects, especially for terrestrial sentinel invertebrates. We determined Cd retention, total DNA methylation, and the methylation status of 5' end of the gene in the hepatopancreas of the brown garden snail, fed Cd sulfate for four weeks. Bodyweight changes and survival were also measured. Hepatopancreas cadmium increased in a dose-dependent manner from the third-lowest dose onward, with very large amounts being found for the highest treatment group. However, no mortalities occurred, irrespective of dietary Cd dose. We identified significant genome-wide hypermethylation in specimens given the highest dose, which overlapped with a significant bodyweight decrease. The gene showed an unmethylated 5' end of the gene and this status was not affected by cadmium exposure. Hepatopancreas DNA methylation is as sensitive as bodyweight to non-lethal concentrations of dietary Cd given as cadmium sulfate but less responsive than tissue accumulation. Such an exposure event, by contrast, does not affect the methylation status of the gene 5' end.
关于镉（Cd）的细胞、生理和遗传效应，已有大量文献记载——镉是现代工业中一种剧毒但常用的痕量金属。然而，关于其表观遗传效应的数据有限，尤其是对于陆地指示无脊椎动物而言。我们测定了以硫酸镉喂食四周的褐云玛瑙螺肝胰腺中镉的滞留量、总DNA甲基化以及基因5'端的甲基化状态。还测量了体重变化和存活率。从第三低剂量开始，肝胰腺中的镉以剂量依赖的方式增加，最高处理组中发现了大量的镉。然而，无论饮食中的镉剂量如何，均未出现死亡情况。我们在给予最高剂量的样本中发现了全基因组范围内显著的高甲基化，这与体重显著下降重叠。基因显示该基因的5'端未甲基化，且这种状态不受镉暴露的影响。肝胰腺DNA甲基化对作为硫酸镉给予的非致死浓度饮食镉的敏感性与体重相同，但比组织积累的反应性小。相比之下，这样的暴露事件不会影响基因5'端的甲基化状态。
