Cadmium is highly toxic and can cause oxidative damage, metabolic disorders, and reduced lifespan and fertility in animals. In this study, we investigated the effects of cadmium in Drosophila melanogaster, performing transcriptome analysis by using tag-based digital gene expression (DGE) profiling. Among 1970 candidate genes, 1443 were up-regulated and 527 were down-regulated following cadmium exposure. Using Gene Ontology analysis, we found that cadmium stress affects three processes: transferase activity, stress response, and the cell cycle. Furthermore, we identified five differentially expressed genes (confirmed by real-time PCR) involved in all three processes: Ald, Cdc2, skpA, tefu, and Pvr. Pathway analysis revealed that these genes were involved in the cell cycle pathway and fat digestion and absorption pathway. This study reveals the gene expression response to cadmium stress in Drosophila, it provides insights into the mechanisms of this response, and it could contribute to our understanding of cadmium toxicity in humans.

镉具有剧毒，可引起氧化损伤，代谢紊乱，并降低动物的寿命和繁殖力。在这项研究中，我们调查了镉在果蝇中的作用，通过使用基于标签的数字基因表达（DGE）谱进行转录组分析。在1970个候选基因中，镉暴露后上调了1443个，下调了527个。使用基因本体论分析，我们发现镉胁迫影响三个过程：转移酶活性，应激反应和细胞周期。此外，我们鉴定了涉及所有三个过程的五个差异表达基因（通过实时PCR确认）：Ald，Cdc2，skpA，tefu和Pvr。途径分析表明，这些基因参与了细胞周期途径和脂肪的消化吸收途径。这项研究揭示了果蝇中对镉胁迫的基因表达反应，它为这种反应的机理提供了见解，并且可能有助于我们了解镉对人的毒性。