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Metallothionein gene expression differs in earthworm populations with different exposure history

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Abstract

Metals are persistent pollutants in soils that can harm soil organisms and decrease species diversity. Animals can cope with metal contamination with the help of metallothioneins, small metal-binding proteins involved in homeostasis and detoxification of metals. We studied the expression of metallothionein with qPCR in a small, epigeic earthworm, Dendrobaena octaedra. We compared expression patterns and metal body content in earthworms collected from two sites with different metal contamination histories: Harjavalta, contaminated by a Cu–Ni smelter operational for over 50 years, and Jyväskylä, an uncontaminated site. Earthworms from both sites were also experimentally exposed to different concentrations of Cu (control, 50, 100 or 200 mg/kg) or Zn (control, 75, 150 or 300 mg/kg) for 7, 14 or 28 days to determine if there is a time related dose–response in gene expression. Population comparison showed that metallothionein expression was higher in earthworms from the contaminated site. In the exposure experiment, exposure time affected expression, but only in the earthworms from the uncontaminated site, suggesting that there is a delay in the metallothionein response of earthworms in this population. In contrast, earthworms from the contaminated site showed higher and constant levels of metallothionein expression at all exposure concentrations and durations. The constant metallothionein expression in earthworms from the contaminated site suggests that inducibility of metallothionein response could be lost in earthworms with metal exposure history. Adaptation of D. octaedra to metal exposure could explain the differences between the populations and explain the persistence of this species in contaminated forest soils.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation (Project Number 2014140). The authors are grateful to Jasmin Nevala and Jemina Nevala for assistance in the field and lab. Experiments performed in this study comply with the current laws of Finland.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyvaskyla, Finland

    M. Mustonen, J. Haimi & K. E. Knott

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Jyvaskyla, Finland

    A. Väisänen

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  1. M. Mustonen
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  2. J. Haimi
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  3. A. Väisänen
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  4. K. E. Knott
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Correspondence to M. Mustonen.

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Mustonen, M., Haimi, J., Väisänen, A. et al. Metallothionein gene expression differs in earthworm populations with different exposure history. Ecotoxicology 23, 1732–1743 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-014-1338-z

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