Proteomic identification of toxic volatile organic compound-responsive proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

Exposure to lethal levels of benzo[a]pyrene or cadmium trigger distinct protein expression patterns in earthworms (Eisenia fetida)

Different pollutants induce distinct toxic responses in earthworms (Eisenia fetida). Here, we used proteomics techniques to compare the responses of E. fetida to exposure to the 10% lethal concentration (14d-LC₁₀) of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) or cadmium (Cd) in natural red soil (China). BaP exposure markedly induced the expression of oxidation-reduction proteins, whereas Cd exposure mainly induced the expression of proteins involved in transcription- and translation-related processes. Furthermore, calmodulin-binding proteins were differentially expressed upon exposure to different pollutants. The calcium (Ca²⁺)-binding cytoskeletal element myosin was down-regulated upon BaP treatment, whereas the Ca²⁺-binding cytoskeletal element tropomyosin-1 was up-regulated upon Cd treatment. Some proteins exhibited opposite responses to the two pollutants. For instance, catalase (CAT) and heat shock protein 70 were up-regulated upon BaP treatment and down-regulated upon Cd treatment. A significant (p<0.05, one-way ANOVA with least-significant difference (LSD) test) increase in the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and CAT activity further showed that BaP mainly induces oxidative stress. Real-time PCR analysis showed that mRNA expression often did not correlate well with protein expression in earthworms subjected to Cd or BaP treatment. In addition, the expression of the gene encoding the protein metallothionein, which was not detected in the protein analysis, was induced upon Cd treatment, but slightly reduced upon BaP treatment. Therefore, BaP and Cd have distinct effects on the protein profile of E. Fetida with BaP markedly inducing ROS activity, and Cd mainly triggering genotoxicity.

CAPSULE SUMMARY

Distinct patterns of protein expression are induced in earthworms upon exposure to different pollutants; BaP markedly induces high levels of ROS, while Cd resultes in genotoxicity.

Development of melamine-formaldehyde resin microcapsules with low formaldehyde emission suited for seed treatment

To reduce the application frequency and improve the efficacy of insecticides, melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin microcapsules suited for seed treatment containing a mixture of fipronil and chlorpyrifos were prepared by in situ polymerization. A formaldehyde/melamine molar ratio of 4:1 yielded microcapsules with the smallest size and the most narrow size distribution. The level of unreacted formaldehyde in the microcapsule suspension increased proportionally with the F/M molar ratio. When the MF resin microcapsule suspension was used as a seed treatment to coat peanut seeds, the unreacted formaldehyde did not significantly inhibit the seedling emergence, but the ongoing release of formaldehyde generated from the degradation of MF resins played an important role in inhibiting emergence. Melamine was shown to be an effective formaldehyde scavenger that mitigated this inhibition when it was incorporated within the microcapsule wall. Field experiments showed that MF-resin-encapsulated mixtures of fipronil and chlorpyrifos have much greater efficacies against white grubs than the conventional formulation.