Profiling transcriptomic response of Enchytraeus albidus to Cu and Ni: comparison with Cd and Zn.

Metals are among the most common contaminants in soils in Europe. Although their effects are relatively well known regarding survival and reproduction to soil invertebrates, their mode of action is poorly understood. Enchytraeus albidus is a model organism in ecotoxicology and with the development of a gene library for this species, transcriptomic studies are now possible. The main aim of this study is to understand the Cu and Ni mechanisms of response in E. albidus, in comparison with Cd and Zn (already studied). E. albidus were exposed to Cu and Ni for 4 days to the reproduction effect concentrations EC50 and EC90. Results indicate that Cu and Ni have similar mechanisms of toxicity. When comparing four elements (hierarchical clustering) it was possible to observe a clear separation of Cd from all other metals. This separation correlates with the available information from other species regarding the toxicokinetics of the tested elements.