Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sericulture Ecology and Applied Intelligent Technology, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China.
Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Sericulture and Silk, Hechi University, Hechi 546300, China.
Genes (Basel). 2023 Aug 12;14(8):1616. doi: 10.3390/genes14081616.
Chromium is a severe heavy metal pollutant with significant environmental risks. The effects of Chromium on the digestion of (silkworms) are of particular importance due to their ecological and economic significance. Herein, RNA sequencing was conducted on nine midgut samples from silkworms exposed to control, 12 g/kg and 24 g/kg Chromium chemical diets. Comparative transcriptomics revealed that under moderate Chromium exposure, there was a significant increase in up-regulated genes (1268 up-regulated to 857 down-regulated), indicating a stimulation response. At higher stress levels, a weakened survival response was observed, with a decrease in up-regulated genes and an increase in down-regulated genes (374 up-regulated to 399 down-regulated). A notable shift in cellular responses under medium chromium exposure was exposed, signifying the activation of crucial metabolic and transport systems and an elevation in cellular stress and toxicity mechanisms. The observation of up-regulated gene expression within xenobiotic metabolism pathways suggests a heightened defense against Chromium-induced oxidative stress, which was primarily through the involvement of antioxidant enzymes. Conversely, high-dose Chromium exposure down-regulates the folate biosynthesis pathway, indicating biological toxicity. Two novel genes responsive to pressure were identified, which could facilitate future stress adaptation understanding. The findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying silkworms' digestion response to Chromium exposure and could inform its biological toxicity.
铬是一种严重的重金属污染物，具有重大的环境风险。由于（家蚕）在生态和经济方面的重要意义，铬对其消化的影响尤其重要。在此，我们对 9 个暴露于对照、12 g/kg 和 24 g/kg 铬化学饮食的家蚕中肠样本进行了 RNA 测序。比较转录组学显示，在中等铬暴露下，上调基因（1268 个上调至 857 个下调）显著增加，表明存在刺激反应。在更高的应激水平下，观察到存活反应减弱，上调基因减少，下调基因增加（374 个上调至 399 个下调）。在中等铬暴露下，细胞反应发生了显著变化，表明关键代谢和运输系统被激活，细胞应激和毒性机制升高。观察到外源生物代谢途径中上调的基因表达，表明对铬诱导的氧化应激有更高的防御能力，主要是通过抗氧化酶的参与。相反，高剂量铬暴露下调叶酸生物合成途径，表明存在生物毒性。鉴定出两个对压力有反应的新基因，这可能有助于未来对压力适应的理解。这些发现为家蚕消化对铬暴露的反应的分子机制提供了深入了解，并可能为其生物毒性提供信息。
