Download THE PROTEOME RESPONSE OF LARVAL STAGES OF

THE PROTEOME RESPONSE OF LARVAL STAGES OF Crassostrea hongkongensis TO LONG
TERM EXPOSURE TO HIGH-CO 2
R Dineshram, V Thiyagarajan
The Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong
Kong, Email: [email protected]
Oysters are one of the most important commercially exploited species cultured in the molluskan
hatcheries around the world. Due to rising CO 2 and subsequent decrease in seawater pH, their survival
and shell forming processes are threatened globally. Our large-scale CO 2 perturbation experiments at a
commercial hatchery setting showed that larval shell growth rate is significantly reduced at projected OA
scenarios for the year >2100 in the oyster species (Crassostrea hongkongensis) compared to that of
ambient CO 2 levels. 2DE-MALDI TOF/TOF based proteomics approach was used to examine the global
(total) and the post translational modified proteins of oyster larvae exposed to OA over 32 d. Proteomic
analysis of the eye-spot larvae of statistically similar size at the time of settlement, displayed protein
expression pattern and/or phosphorylation levels decreased with increasing OA stress. The differential
expressed proteins that are identified in this study are related to energy metabolism, calcium binding and
cytoskeletal proteins. Disruption of cytoskeletal and calcification responsible proteins observed due to
OA in the early stages of the edible oyster can be estimated to have a significant implication with its
population structure and in its commercial production in particular to aquaculture. This study on early
larval stages coupled with proteome change in OA conditions is the first step towards the search for novel
protein expression signatures that can provide new insights into their role in tolerance and/or as biomarker
for OA.