Transcriptional responses in Ecklonia cava to short-term exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Backgrounds Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most persistent environmental toxicants, which can be found in every part of the environment. The PAHs are known to induce cancer, malformation, and mutation in various kinds of biological organisms, including humans. However, only limited toxic effects of PAHs in seaweeds have been accumulated so far. Objectives Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) against PAHs exposure were isolated using Ecava cDNA microarray and their biological functions were considered to anticipate the toxic effects of PAHs in Ecklonia cava . Results Gene ontology (GO) analysis of DEGs showed that PAHs exposure affected several processes, namely cellular protein metabolic, macromolecule biosynthetic, nucleic acid metabolic, carbohydrate derivative biosynthetic, glycoprotein metabolic processes, photosynthesis, and finally oxidoreductase activity in kelp species. Functional analysis of the most frequently observed DEGs in each of the 24-h and 48-h experimental groups revealed that PAHs appeared to induce stress and defense responses, as well as interfere with Wnt signaling pathways and biological molecule metabolism in E. cava . Conclusion This study demonstrated the discovery of DEGs in E. cava that may be impacted by environmental PAHs, as well as predicted how the transcript levels would affect physiology and metabolism. Such results will contribute to a better understanding of how seaweed reacts to pollution.