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Updated: May 10, 2026
Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers do not affect metamorphosis but alter the proteome of the invasive slipper limpet
Joy Mukherjee1, Beverly H K Po, Jill M Y Chiu
1The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Abstract:
Man-made polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) used as flame retardants in various consumer products may be harmful to marine organisms. Larvae of some marine invertebrates, especially invasive species, can develop resistance to PBDEs through altered protein expression patterns or proteome plasticity. This is the first report of a proteomics approach to study BDE-47 induced molecular changes in the invasive limpet Crepidula onyx. Larvae of C. onyx were cultured for 5 days (hatching to metamorphosis) in the presence of BDE-47 (1 μg L(-1)). Using a 2-DE proteomics approach with triple quadrupole and high-resolution TOF-MS, we showed that BDE-47 altered the proteome structure but not the growth or metamorphosis of C. onyx larvae. We found eight significant differentially expressed proteins in response to BDE-47, deemed the protein expression signature, consisting of cytoskeletal, stress tolerance, metabolism and energy production related proteins. Our data suggest C. onyx larvae have adequate proteome plasticity to tolerate BDE-47 toxicity.
