UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, UK.
Cardiff School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, P.O. Box 915, Cardiff CF10 3TL, UK.
Genes (Basel). 2022 Apr 26;13(5):770. doi: 10.3390/genes13050770.
This study reports on the effects of long-term exposure to the metals arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene on the survival, growth, development and DNA methylation status of the earthworm . Exposures to the three chemicals were conducted over their whole juvenile developmental period from egg to adult. Significant effects on one or more measured endpoints were found for all three chemicals. Arsenic had no effect on survival, but had a significant effect on growth rates at concentrations of 36 mg/kg or higher and also slowed the rate of maturation. Cadmium significantly reduced juvenile survival at 500 mg/kg, juvenile growth at 148 mg/kg and maturation rates at all tested concentrations. Fluoranthene had no effect on survival or the developmental period, but did significantly reduce growth rates at 800 mg/kg. Effects at these concentrations are consistent with the known effects of these three chemicals on earthworms from previous studies conducted mainly with . Both As and Cd had no effect on DNA methylation patterning in earthworms measured at the end of the exposure. Fluoranthene was shown, for the first time. to have an effect on a species' DNA methylation levels. These results suggest that apical phenotypic changes for As and Cd are not necessarily associated with changes in DNA methylation profiles. However, exposure to the organic chemical fluoranthene influenced DNA methylation patterns, suggesting wider remodelling of the epigenome for this chemical.
本研究报告了长期暴露于砷（As）、镉（Cd）和多环芳烃荧蒽对蚯蚓存活、生长、发育和 DNA 甲基化状态的影响。三种化学物质的暴露是在从卵到成虫的整个幼体发育期间进行的。所有三种化学物质都对一个或多个测量终点产生了显著影响。砷对存活率没有影响，但在 36 毫克/千克或更高的浓度下对生长率有显著影响，并减缓了成熟速度。镉在 500 毫克/千克时显著降低了幼体存活率，在 148 毫克/千克时显著降低了幼体生长率，在所有测试浓度下都降低了成熟率。荧蒽对存活率或发育期没有影响，但在 800 毫克/千克时显著降低了生长率。这些浓度下的影响与以前主要使用欧洲大型蚯蚓进行的研究中这三种化学物质对蚯蚓的已知影响一致。砷和镉在暴露结束时均未对蚯蚓的 DNA 甲基化模式产生影响。荧蒽首次被证明对物种的 DNA 甲基化水平有影响。这些结果表明，As 和 Cd 的顶端表型变化不一定与 DNA 甲基化图谱的变化相关。然而，暴露于有机化学物质荧蒽会影响 DNA 甲基化模式，表明这种化学物质的表观基因组发生了更广泛的重塑。
