Exposure to microplastics reduces attachment strength and alters the haemolymph proteome of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)

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dc.contributor.authorGreen, Dannielle S.
dc.contributor.authorColgan, Thomas J.
dc.contributor.authorThompson, Richard C.
dc.contributor.authorCarolan, James C.
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-28T16:06:24Z
dc.date.available2024-02-28T16:06:24Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractThe contamination of marine ecosystems with microplastics, such as the polymer polyethylene, a commonly used component of single-use packaging, is of global concern. Although it has been suggested that biodegradable polymers, such as polylactic acid, may be used to replace some polyethylene packaging, little is known about their effects on marine organisms. Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, have become a “model organism” for investigating the effects of microplastics in marine ecosystems. We show here that repeated exposure, over a period of 52 days in an outdoor mesocosm setting, of M. edulis to polyethylene microplastics reduced the number of byssal threads produced and the attachment strength (tenacity) by ∼50%. Exposure to either type of microplastic altered the haemolymph proteome and, although a conserved response to microplastic exposure was observed, overall polyethylene resulted in more changes to protein abundances than polylactic acid. Many of the proteins affected are involved in vital biological processes, such as immune regulation, detoxification, metabolism and structural development. Our study highlights the utility of mass spectrometry-based proteomics to assess the health of key marine organisms and identifies the potential mechanisms by which microplastics, both conventional and biodegradable, could affect their ability to form and maintain reefs. © 2018; Conventional microplastics alone reduced the attachment strength of blue mussels but both conventional and biodegradable micoplastics altered the haemolymph proteome. © 2018en
dc.description.sponsorshipIrish Research Council ( GOIPD/2013/306 )en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationGreen, D. S., Colgan, T. J., Thompson, R. C. and Carolan, J. C. (2019) 'Exposure to microplastics reduces attachment strength and alters the haemolymph proteome of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)', Environmental Pollution, 246, pp.423-434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.12.017en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.12.017
dc.identifier.endpage434
dc.identifier.issn2697491
dc.identifier.journaltitleEnvironmental Pollutionen
dc.identifier.startpage423
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/15604
dc.identifier.volume246
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherElsevier Ltden
dc.rights© 2019, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectBiodegradable microplasticsen
dc.subjectImmunityen
dc.subjectPolyethyleneen
dc.subjectPolylactic aciden
dc.subjectProteinsen
dc.subjectTenacityen
dc.titleExposure to microplastics reduces attachment strength and alters the haemolymph proteome of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)en
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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