Oxidative Stress Responses in Marine Invertebrate Embryos

Marine invertebrate embryos develop in environments that frequently expose them to chemical and physical stressors capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Sources of oxidative challenge include natural factors such as ultraviolet radiation and algal toxins, alongside anthropogenic pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Embryos rely on both maternally derived antioxidants and de novo synthesis of enzymatic defences—superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase—to maintain redox homeostasis. Non-enzymatic antioxidants, including carotenoids and glutathione, also play key roles. When ROS production overwhelms these defences, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and DNA damage may impair cell division, morphogenesis and larval survival. Understanding these processes is crucial for predicting the resilience of economically important and ecologically foundational species under escalating environmental change.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have revealed that maternal exposure to environmental pollutants can prime offspring antioxidant capacity without guaranteeing full protection. In sea urchins, adult ingestion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons led to upregulation of antioxidant enzymes in gonadal tissue and transfer of elevated baseline defences to embryos. These progeny exhibited reduced lipid and protein oxidation when subsequently challenged, although DNA damage remained largely unmitigated and developmental abnormalities were unaffected. In a complementary investigation of marine protected-area sea urchins during harmful algal blooms, nitration of the major yolk protein altered its structure and calcium-binding properties. While toxin detoxification reduced overall nitration, specific modified residues persisted irreversibly and were replicated in embryos exposed to metal pollutants, correlating with defective larval development. Together these findings underscore the complex interplay between environmental stressors, protein modification and embryonic redox balance.

Oxidative Stress Responses in Marine Invertebrate Embryos publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in oxidative stress responses in marine invertebrate embryos across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): chemically reactive molecules derived from oxygen, including superoxide and hydrogen peroxide.

Antioxidant enzymes: proteins such as superoxide dismutase and catalase that convert ROS into less reactive species.

Malondialdehyde (MDA): an end-product of lipid peroxidation used as a biomarker of oxidative damage.

Nitration: covalent addition of a nitro group (NO2) to amino acid residues, often tyrosine, altering protein function.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): organic pollutants composed of fused aromatic rings that can induce oxidative stress.

References

1. Maternal antioxidant provisioning mitigates pollutant-induced oxidative damage in embryos of the temperate sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus. Scientific Reports (2017).
2. Biotic and environmental stress induces nitration and changes in structure and function of the sea urchin major yolk protein toposome. Scientific Reports (2018).
3. Efficacy of calcein as a chemical marker of Potamocorbula laevis. Frontiers in Marine Science (2024).
4. Hurdles in investigating UVB damage in the putative ancient asexual Darwinula stevensoni (Ostracoda, Crustacea). Belgian Journal of Zoology (2024).