Metabolic Profile Biomarkers of Metal Contamination in a Sentinel Terrestrial Species Are Applicable Across Multiple Sites

Abstract

In this study, we addressed the question of whether an omic approach could genuinely be useful for biomarker profile analysis across different field sites with different physicochemical characteristics. We collected earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) from seven sites with very different levels of metal contamination and prevailing soil type and analyzed tissue extracts by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Pattern recognition analysis of the data showed that both site- and contaminant-specific effects on the metabolic profiles could be discerned. Zinc was identified as the probable major contaminant causing a metabolic change in the earthworms. Individual sites could be resolved on the basis of NMR spectral profiles by principal component analysis; these site differences may also have been caused by additional abiotic factors such as soil pH. Despite an inevitable degree of confounding between site and contaminant concentrations, it was possible to identify metabolites which were correlated with zinc across all different sites. This study therefore acts as a proof of principle for the use of NMR-based metabolic profiling as a diagnostic tool for ecotoxicological research in polluted field soils.

Proteomic and metabolomic analysis of earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to different concentrations of 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether

“…HEFS was identified in diverse earthworm species including Eisenia veneta, Lumbricus rubellus, Aporrectodea caliginosa and E. fetida [27,28,42,43]. Although the function of HEFS in earthworms was not fully understood, it was suggested that HEFS might play a role in membrane stabilization due to its amphiphilic property [27,28].…”

“…Although the function of HEFS in earthworms was not fully understood, it was suggested that HEFS might play a role in membrane stabilization due to its amphiphilic property [27,28]. The decrease of HEFS could mean that BDE 47 induced disturbance in membrane stabilization in E. fetida at concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 100 μg/L.…”

“…In the terrestrial system, earthworms are excellent model organisms and have been widely used as preferable bioindicators in soil ecotoxicology [27,28]. Some recent studies have shown that both NMR-based metabolomics and 2-DE-based proteomics on earthworm Eisenia fetida have great potential to elucidate the toxicological effects and mechanisms induced by environmental contaminants, such as heavy metals (e.g., cadmium) and organic chemicals (e.g., phenanthrene) [29,30].…”

Identifying biochemical phenotypic differences between cryptic species

“…A previous observation of possible bimodal distributions of metabolites in L. rubellus was not based on enough individuals to confirm the existence of sub-populations [23]. Metabolomics is often used to study the relationship of genotype to phenotype [24].…”

Advances in detection of stress tolerance in plants through metabolomics approaches

“…Metabolomics are used as a key instrument to understand the environmental responses in plants (Bundy et al, 2007). Recently, they are being used as key instrument to study biogenic volatile compounds produced by various plant species (Lijima, 2014).…”