Gene expression of cytochrome P450 in Euplotes crassus (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida) under conditions of ocean acidification: Lab trial

Abstract

According to climate change scenarios, the pH of seawater is expected to decrease from 8.05 to 7.65 in 2100 due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. In order to predict the adaptations of organisms living in the intertidal zone to ocean acidification, we investigated the pH response of the ciliate, Euplotes crassus, under controlled conditions. E. crassus is a dominant ciliate species in the intertidal zone, has high resistance to various environmental changes, and is easy to culture. We treated E. crassus with different pH conditions ranging from 7.65 to 8.05, adjusted with hydrochloric acid. At pH 7.65, cell motility significantly decreased after 30 minutes, and 1 hour later the fatality rate reached over 30%. Gene expression profiling of cytochrome P450 (CYP) of E. crassus is also underway to understand the molecular level responses of ciliates to pH stress using real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).