Transcriptomic response of the benthic freshwater diatom Nitzschia palea exposed to Few Layer Graphene

Type Article
Date 2019-05
Language English
Author(s) Garacci Marion1, Barret Maialen1, Folgoas Clement2, Flahaut Emmanuel3, Chimowa GeorgeORCID3, Bertucci AnthonyORCID4, Gonzalez PatriceORCID4, Silvestre Jerome1, Gauthier Laury1, Zouine Mohamed2, Pinelli Eric1
Affiliation(s) 1 : EcoLab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.
2 : GBF (Laboratoire Génomique et Biotechnologie du Fruit), ENSAT, INRA/INP, UMR 990, Castanet Tolosan, France
3 : Institut Carnot CIRIMAT (Centre Inter-universitaire de Recherche et d'Ingénierie des MATériaux), Université de Toulouse, INP, UPS, UMR CNRS 5085, Toulouse, France
4 : Université de Bordeaux, UMR EPOC CNRS 5805, Pessac, France
Source Environmental Science-nano (2051-8153) (Royal Soc Chemistry), 2019-05 , Vol. 6 , N. 5 , P. 1363-1381
DOI 10.1039/c8en00987b
WOS© Times Cited 6
Abstract

Nanotechnology is currently undergoing rapid development partly due to the increasing use of carbon-based nanoparticles, such as Few Layer Graphene (FLG). Owing to its numerous applications, its industrial production is likely to lead to environmental release, including into aquatic ecosystems. In this study, a transcriptomic approach was used to assess the effect of FLG at low (0.1 mg L-1) and high (50 mg L-1) concentrations on the benthic freshwater diatom Nitzschia palea after 48 h of exposure. Direct contact with FLG and induced shading were distinguished to compare the transcriptomic responses. Genes that were differentially expressed after exposure compared with control conditions were identified, and their functional descriptions are discussed. A slight transcriptomic response related to cell wall repair was observed in diatoms exposed to the low FLG concentration. Exposure to the high FLG concentration induced a strong response involving 1907 transcripts. Notably, 16 transcripts involved in the chlorophyll biosynthesis process were under-expressed (log2 fold change between -3 and -1.2), suggesting a down-regulation of the photosynthetic metabolism. Diatoms exposed to the high FLG concentration over-expressed about 13 transcripts encoding for extracellular proteins that play a role in cellular adhesion, and two transcripts involved in cell wall repair were highly up-regulated. Light deprivation caused by shading induced a downregulation of genes involved in the energetic metabolism of N. palea. Overall, these results revealed that metabolic pathways impacted by FLG exposure are concentration and contact dependent. Moreover, this study suggests that a low FLG concentration, close to that in environmental conditions, will have a minor impact on diatom biofilms whereas a high FLG concentration, mimicking accidental release, might be critical for ecosystems.

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Garacci Marion, Barret Maialen, Folgoas Clement, Flahaut Emmanuel, Chimowa George, Bertucci Anthony, Gonzalez Patrice, Silvestre Jerome, Gauthier Laury, Zouine Mohamed, Pinelli Eric (2019). Transcriptomic response of the benthic freshwater diatom Nitzschia palea exposed to Few Layer Graphene. Environmental Science-nano, 6(5), 1363-1381. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1039/c8en00987b , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00792/90391/