Project description:The goal of this project is to identify neural and molecular biomarkers as predictors of MeHg exposure and deficits in specific neurobehavioral endpoints. Specifically, we are investigating the effects of sublethal MeHg exposure (1, 2 and 3.5 ppm of wild-caught walleye diet) on developing zebrafish by analyzing early lifestage (ELS) toxicity, changes in global gene expression by microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR), and neurobehavioral dysfunction. Gene expression analysis in exposed embryos was performed using an 8,000 element custom zebrafish cDNA microarray. Microarray results were validated using QPCR. A number of the early life stage zebrafish genes found to be dysregulated by maternal MeHg have functional annotations involving cell division, cell cycle progression, neurodevelopment, liver development, ion-binding, transcriptional regulation and endopeptidase activity.
Project description:Methylmercury (MeHg) is an environmental neurotoxicant known to cause adverse effects in fish, such as locomotor abnormalities, visual deficits or teratogenesis. However, very few studies have investigated the effects of environmentally realistic MeHg exposures on the gene expression of fish embryos. Since the primary source of MeHg exposure in wild fish is through the diet, this study analyzed differential gene expression in zebrafish embryos from parents that had been subjected to environmentally relevant dietary MeHg exposures (0, 1, 3, and 10ppm) throughout their whole life cycle.
