Project description:Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent and ubiquitously distributed environmental pollutants. Based on their chemical structure, PCBs are classified into non-ortho substituted and ortho-substituted congeners. Non-ortho-substituted PCBs are structurally similar to dioxin or TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) and their mode of action and toxic effects are well established. In contrast, much less is known about the effects of ortho-substituted PCBs. Studies conducted so far have focused on tissue-specific effects but there is limited knowledge about the effects on the whole organism, particularly the sensitive developmental stages in vertebrates. Hence, in this study we investigated the effects of exposure to an environmentally relevant ortho-substituted PCB (2,2’,4,4’,5,5’-hexachlorobiphenyl; PCB153) on zebrafish embryos. We exposed zebrafish embryos to either DMSO (0.1%; solvent control) or three different concentrations of PCB153 (0.1, 1 and 10 μM) from 4 hours post-fertilization (hpf) to 120 hpf. At the end of the exposure, larvae were sampled for determining transcriptional changes (RNA sequencing) and the remaining embryos were maintained in contaminant-free environment. At 7 and 14 days post-fertilization (dpf), zebrafish larvae were assessed for locomotory behavior. We did not observe any overt phenotypes during the exposure period, but observed a spinal phenotype in the 10μM PCB153 treated group starting at 7 dpf. This phenotype was observed in a dose-dependent manner and majority of the embryos with this phenotype died by 14 dpf. RNA sequencing of 5 dpf larvae exposed to PCB153 also revealed dose-dependent changes in gene expression patterns. A total of 633, 2227, and 3378 differentially expressed genes were observed in 0.1, 1 and 10 μM PCB153 treated embryos, respectively. Among these, 301 genes were common to all treatment groups, and KEGG pathway analysis revealed enrichment of genes related to circadian rhythm, FOXO signaling and insulin resistance pathways. We are currently investigating the functions of genes that are uniquely altered by different PCB153 concentrations. Overall, these results suggest that developmental exposure to PCB153, a PCB congener highly prevalent in the environment, targets multiple physiological processes including photoperiod regulation and metabolism. [Funded by NIH P01ES021923 and NSF OCE-1314642].
Project description:Expression profiles of Drosophila melanogaster in response to ionizing radiation, formaldehyde, toluene, and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.
Project description:Aryl hydrocarbon receptor ChIP-Seq performed in livers of female mice gavaged with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for 2hrs
Project description:Aryl hydrocarbon receptor ChIP-Seq performed in livers of male mice gavaged with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for 2hrs
Project description:A toxicogenomics approach was used to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the gene expression changes in human and rat primary hepatocytes exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Hepatocytes from five individual rats and five individual humans were exposed for 24 hours to 11 concentrations of TCDD ranging from 0.00001 nM to 100 nM and a vehicle control. Gene expression changes were analyzed using whole genome microarrays.
Project description:A toxicogenomics approach was used to qualitatively and quantitatively compare the gene expression changes in human and rat primary hepatocytes exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Hepatocytes from five individual rats and five individual humans were exposed for 24 hours to 11 concentrations of TCDD ranging from 0.00001 nM to 100 nM and a vehicle control. Gene expression changes were analyzed using whole genome microarrays.
Project description:2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent environmental contaminant. Previous reports revealed TCDD activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway and causing cardiac damage. However, the mechanism of AhR-induced cardiac defect in response to TCDD exposure remains unclear. In this study, we characterized the impacts of TCDD exposure on heart morphology and cardiac function in zebrafish. To investigate the differentially expressed genes under TCDD exposure, we collected the zebrafish larave heart from the control and TCDD treatment groups. We then performed gene expression profiling analysis using data obtained from RNA-seq. Transcriptomic profiling showed that, along with an upregulation of the AhR signaling pathway by TCDD, the expression of pro-ferroptosis genes was upregulated, while genes implicated in glutathione metabolism were downregulated. Consistently, lipid peroxidation, as indicated by malonaldehyde (MDA) production, increased in TCDD-exposed cardiac tissue. Accordingly, inhibiting lipid peroxidation with Liproxstatin-1 reversed the adverse cardiac effects under TCDD treatment. Together, our findings demonstrate that AhR-mediated lipid peroxidation contributes to the cardiac developmental defects of TCDD during zebrafish early development.
