Proteomic profiling of Ruditapes philippinarum gills exposed to triazophos: Insights into oxidative stress, cytoskeletal alterations, protein homeostasis and energy metabolism enhancement

Abstract

The extensive utilization of triazophos (TP) caused a threat to aquatic organisms, particularly the non-target organisms such as clams. The current research aimed to evaluate the impact of sub-lethal concentration of TP on Malina clam Ruditapes philippinarum. Clams were subjected to a TP concentration at 25 μg/L (equivalent to 2 % of the 96 h LC₅₀ value) for a period of 7 d, then the proteomic alterations, as well as the activities and gene expression levels of antioxidant enzymes in the clam gills were examined. Proteomics revealed that TP exposure induced 62 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) in the gills, including 51 with higher abundance and 11 lower abundance. Combined with the findings of enzyme activities (contents) and gene expression analysis, we observed significant variations in the abundance of proteins involved in oxidative stress, cytoskeletal regulation, protein homeostasis, and energy metabolism pathways in the gills under 7 d of TP stress. This suggested that at low concentration, TP might activate stress response pathways or cellular defense strategies, thereby leading to the upregulation of certain proteins.