Developmental and Transcriptomic Responses in Sea Urchin Larvae to an Urban-Associated Pollutant.

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Environmental toxicology
• Developmental biology

Background:

• Marine intertidal zones face unique stressors from urban development and wastewater.
• Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in wastewater are known to impact marine organisms, but mechanisms are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the developmental and transcriptomic effects of nonylphenol, a common EDC, on the Pacific purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus).
• Examine the impact of nonylphenol exposure from pre-fertilization through early embryonic development.

Main Methods:

• Exposed sea urchin gametes and embryos to varying concentrations of nonylphenol.
• Assessed survival, morphology, and developmental abnormalities.
• Analyzed embryonic gene expression patterns (transcriptomics) at different developmental stages.

Main Results:

• Nonylphenol exposure affected sea urchin survival, with the lowest survival rates observed at the lowest chemical concentrations.
• Developmental and transcriptomic impacts were evident 24 hours post-fertilization, coinciding with embryonic gene expression.
• Differential gene expression, particularly in ribosomal genes, was observed across different nonylphenol concentrations and developmental stages.
• Significant parental effects influenced survival, morphology, development, and gene expression, indicating substantial within-population variation.

Conclusions:

• Nonylphenol negatively impacts sea urchin survival, morphology, and gene expression during early life stages.
• Intraspecific variation plays a crucial role in the response to nonylphenol exposure, potentially influencing evolutionary adaptation to anthropogenic stressors.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms and implications of intraspecific variation in response to environmental contaminants.