Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses
Global climate change has led to increased ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation, which is now a major global environmental issue that poses significant threats to ecosystems. Zostera japonica, a higher plant inhabiting the intertidal zone, is particularly impacted by this increase in UVB radiation. Further...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325001927 |
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| author | Jiayi Xin Song Xue Hongzhen Wang Xinqi Li Yu Zang Lei Liu Xuexi Tang Jun Chen |
| author_facet | Jiayi Xin Song Xue Hongzhen Wang Xinqi Li Yu Zang Lei Liu Xuexi Tang Jun Chen |
| author_sort | Jiayi Xin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Global climate change has led to increased ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation, which is now a major global environmental issue that poses significant threats to ecosystems. Zostera japonica, a higher plant inhabiting the intertidal zone, is particularly impacted by this increase in UVB radiation. Furthermore, its unique evolutionary history has endowed Z. japonica with distinct characteristics that differentiate its response to environmental changes from those of other marine and terrestrial plants. However, the specific response mechanisms of Z. japonica to elevated levels of UVB radiation are not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated the response mechanism of Z. japonica to varying doses of increased UVB radiation by integrating the physiological responses with transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. The results revealed that excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) were key substances induced by increased UVB radiation and that photosynthesis was significantly inhibited. To mitigate these adverse effects, the expression levels of genes related to antioxidants and UV-absorbing compounds, including flavonoids (PAL, 4CL, CHS, CHI, F3H) and antioxidant enzymes (DHAR, MDHAR, APX), were upregulated. The increased synthesis of these compounds serves to scavenge accumulated ROS and absorb UV radiation. Notably, flavonoids are the preferred compounds synthesized by Z. japonica, in contrast to other plant species. In addition, the weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) method was employed to identify genes that may play important roles in the response of Z. japonica to increased UVB radiation. The results of this study provide new insights into the potential mechanisms of the response of Z. japonica to increased UVB radiation and serve as important references for elucidating the environmental adaptation mechanisms of intertidal seagrasses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-66513cdf63b34a54afd619e491dbb41b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-66513cdf63b34a54afd619e491dbb41b2025-02-07T04:46:38ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-02-01291117856Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analysesJiayi Xin0Song Xue1Hongzhen Wang2Xinqi Li3Yu Zang4Lei Liu5Xuexi Tang6Jun Chen7MoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaMoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaMoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaMoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaKey Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaMoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, ChinaMoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, Shandong, China; Correspondence to: College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266000, China.MoE Key Laboratory of Evolution & Marine Biodiversity, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong, China; Correspondence to: College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266000, China.Global climate change has led to increased ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation, which is now a major global environmental issue that poses significant threats to ecosystems. Zostera japonica, a higher plant inhabiting the intertidal zone, is particularly impacted by this increase in UVB radiation. Furthermore, its unique evolutionary history has endowed Z. japonica with distinct characteristics that differentiate its response to environmental changes from those of other marine and terrestrial plants. However, the specific response mechanisms of Z. japonica to elevated levels of UVB radiation are not fully understood. Therefore, we investigated the response mechanism of Z. japonica to varying doses of increased UVB radiation by integrating the physiological responses with transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. The results revealed that excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) were key substances induced by increased UVB radiation and that photosynthesis was significantly inhibited. To mitigate these adverse effects, the expression levels of genes related to antioxidants and UV-absorbing compounds, including flavonoids (PAL, 4CL, CHS, CHI, F3H) and antioxidant enzymes (DHAR, MDHAR, APX), were upregulated. The increased synthesis of these compounds serves to scavenge accumulated ROS and absorb UV radiation. Notably, flavonoids are the preferred compounds synthesized by Z. japonica, in contrast to other plant species. In addition, the weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) method was employed to identify genes that may play important roles in the response of Z. japonica to increased UVB radiation. The results of this study provide new insights into the potential mechanisms of the response of Z. japonica to increased UVB radiation and serve as important references for elucidating the environmental adaptation mechanisms of intertidal seagrasses.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325001927Intertidal seagrassIncreased UVB radiationFlavonoidsAntioxidantTranscriptomics |
| spellingShingle | Jiayi Xin Song Xue Hongzhen Wang Xinqi Li Yu Zang Lei Liu Xuexi Tang Jun Chen Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Intertidal seagrass Increased UVB radiation Flavonoids Antioxidant Transcriptomics |
| title | Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses |
| title_full | Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses |
| title_short | Investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass Zostera japonica to increased UVB radiation through physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses |
| title_sort | investigating the response mechanisms of the intertidal seagrass zostera japonica to increased uvb radiation through physiological transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses |
| topic | Intertidal seagrass Increased UVB radiation Flavonoids Antioxidant Transcriptomics |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325001927 |
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