Differential effects of zinc exposure on male and female oysters (Crassostrea angulata) as revealed by label-free quantitative proteomics.

Oysters accumulate Zn as an adaptation to Zn exposure; however, it is not known whether male and female oysters respond differently to Zn exposure. Proteomic and real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses were used to investigate differential responses of male and female oysters (Crassostrea angulata) to Zn exposure. After exposure to 50 μg L-1 or 500 μg L-1 Zn for 30 d, gonads of female oysters accumulated more Zn than those of males, and gonadal development was accelerated in females but was abnormal in males. Differentially expressed proteins after exposure to Zn were identified and shown to function in Zn transport, Ca transport, phosphate metabolism, energy metabolism, immune regulation, oxidative stress responses, gene expression regulation, and fat metabolism. Proteins with functions in Zn transportation and storage, and multifunctional proteins, such as hemicentin-1 and histidinol dehydrogenase, were expressed at significantly higher levels in the gonads of female than male oysters after Zn exposure. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2602-2613. © 2017 SETAC.