
This project aims to find if persistent pollutants when exposed to C. elegans for long term in low dose cause Heightened sensitivity. Heightened sensitivity is defined as when individuals are exposed to low dose of a persistent pollutant for multiple generations, they become sensitive (with reduced EC50) to the pollutant and have reduced progeny and low quality off-springs in the last observed generation when stressed with the same pollutant. This has been observed in silver nanoparticles (Schultz et al. 2016; Wamucho et al., 2019, Wamucho et al., 2020). This project aims to see how generalized is this phenomenon in other persistent pollutant like pesticides, plastic nanoparticles. This project aims to study the underlying mechanism. Developing an Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) for Heightened sensitivity with Oxidative stress as main Molecular initiating event and Heightened Sensitivity as Adverse outcome. The AOP constructed has various Key events (KE) with genetic and epigenetic relevance, which will be experimentally proved with genetic and epigenetic biomarkers quantified for each KE.