Expressions of oxidative stress-related genes and antioxidant enzyme activities in Mytilus galloprovincialis (Bivalvia, Mollusca) exposed to hypoxia

Abstract Background In this study, we investigated transcription and enzyme level responses of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to hypoxic conditions. Genes for catalase (CAT), cytochrome P450, glutathione S-transferase (GST), metallothionein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX-1), and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 were selected for study. Transcriptional changes were investigated in mussels exposed to hypoxia for 24 and 48 h and were compared to changes in control mussels maintained at normal oxygen levels. Activities of CAT, GST, and SOD enzymes, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were also investigated in mussels following exposure to hypoxia for 24, 48, and 72 h. Results Relative to the control group, the CAT activity decreased in all hypoxia treatments, while the activity of GST significantly increased in mussels exposed to hypoxia for 24 and 48 h, but decreased in those exposed for 72 h. The LPO levels were significantly higher in mussels in the 24- and 48-h hypoxia treatments than those in the control mussels, but there was no significant change in the SOD activities among all hypoxia treatments. Messenger RNA levels for the CAT, cytochrome P450, GST, metallothionein, and SOD genes were not significantly affected by hypoxic conditions for 48 h, but the expressions of the COX-1 and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes were significantly repressed in mussels in both the 24- and 48-h exposure treatments. Conclusions These results demonstrate the transcriptional stability and changes among several genes related to oxidative stress under oxygen-depletion conditions in M. galloprovincialis and provide useful information about the modulation of antioxidant enzyme activities induced by hypoxia in a marine animal.