A proteome-based assessment of the earthworm Eisenia fetida: response to chemical warfare agents in a sandy loam soil

摘要

Proteins are known to respond rapidly when an organism is exposed to a toxicant and this response is consistent and unique to the xenobiotics. Induced and repressed proteins together create a specific signature that can be used to identify a toxic agent and its concentration in the environmental matrix, The resulting protein expression signature for each agent will include a small number of the most potent proteins, which can be used to detect the presence and determine the concentration of a toxicant. We exposed the earthworm Eisenia fetida to a range of concentrations of chemical warfare agents (CWA) HD (mustard) and VX (nerve agent) in a natural sandy loam soil. Results demonstrated specificity of protein signatures in response to HD and VX exposure in soil. This study also showed that protein patterns were specific for different concentrations of HD or VX in otherwise clean agent-amended soil. Several proteins were induced in all HD or VX concentrations tested suggesting the potential of identifying the key proteins for use in detection of HD or VX presence in soil regardless of their concentrations. The robustness of the proteome-based response to chemical exposure by soil biota needs to be further investigated by including determinations of protein patterns for chemicals in different soil types and in the presence of additional chemical stressors using variety of soil invertebrate models.