Abstract
Ulva spp. have outstanding survivability in copper-rich environments, but research into the interactions between these algae and copper is required. This study combined transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to investigate the expression of various metabolites in Ulva prolifera after exposure to 10 mg L−1 of copper sulfate for 12 h. The results showed that copper stress in U. prolifera mainly manifested as a reduction in transcription and translation, which was related to gene expression, protein activity, and metabolite content in cell division and energy metabolism. However, the resistance, signal transduction, and metabolism of U. prolifera were enhanced to respond actively to acute copper stress in many aspects. These findings demonstrate the impact of 12 h of 10 mg L−1 copper sulfate exposure on U. prolifera.
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Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Thomas Wichard for helpful discussions. We thank all of the reviewers, who contributed to improving the manuscript. We would also like to thank Sangon Biotech Co. (Shanghai) and Applied Protein Technology Co. (Shanghai) for their technical support.
Funding
1. Key Laboratory of Integrated Marine Monitoring and Applied Technologies for Harmful Algal Blooms, S.O.A. (MATHAB201817).
2. Shanghai Port and Offshore Ecological Environment Technology Service Platform Project (19DZ2292500).
3. Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (18ZR1417400).
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Chuner Cai, Hui Zhao, Rui Jia, and Peimin He conceived the study. Chuner Cai designed the experiments. Ting Jiang collected, cultured, and prepared the algae. Xuanhong Liu, Chuner Cai, and Hui Zhao analyzed the data. Chuner Cai and Xuanhong Liu wrote and finalized the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.
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Cai, C., Liu, X., Zhao, H. et al. Weakened growth, cell division, and energy metabolism, but enhanced resistance, signaling, and anabolism: responses of Ulva prolifera to copper elucidated by omics. J Appl Phycol 33, 3449–3465 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02527-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-021-02527-8