The Toxicologist - Society of Toxicology
The Toxicologist - Society of Toxicology
The Toxicologist - Society of Toxicology
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post fertilization (hpf) for 5 days when they were scored for acute lethality and developmental<br />
defects. Six hpf embryos were treated with compound and RNA isolated<br />
for RT-PCR at 10 or 24 hpf to confirm downstream canonical Wnt target inhibition<br />
(Axin2 and Cyclin D1) using RPL13a as an endogenous control.<br />
Non-canonical Wnt Planar Cell pathway VANGL2 expression was also measured.<br />
FH535, a transcriptional Wnt pathway inhibitor, suppressed Axin2 and Cyclin D1<br />
expression at 10 and 24 hpf. IWR-1, a Wnt/tankyrase inhibitor, induced malformations<br />
while showing no change in Axin2 or Cyclin D1 expression. XAV939, a<br />
more selective tankyrase inhibitor, induced malformations such as micropthalmia,<br />
misshapen head and heart, and tail defects but had little expression change.<br />
SB415286, a GSK3β inhibitor, increased in Axin2 and Cyclin D1 expression at 10<br />
hpf. Wnt/PCP pathway was also evaluated by measurement <strong>of</strong> VANGL2 expression.<br />
Following IWR-1 treatment VANGL2 expression increased by 2 fold at 24<br />
hpf and by 4 fold at 5 days. TFC4 and β-Catenin Morpholinos were injected into<br />
embryos at the 2 cell stage and evaluated for defects/mortality at 48 hpf. Both the<br />
TCF4 and β-Catenin Morpholinos had severe phenotypic effects. In summary,<br />
prototypic inhibitors <strong>of</strong> the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway have measurable effects on<br />
Wnt target gene expression and phenoptypic malformations are similar though less<br />
extreme than that <strong>of</strong> Morpholino knock down in the developing Zf embryo.<br />
1742 ASSESSMENT OF DRUG-INDUCED, SEIZURE-LIKE<br />
MOVEMENT IN ZEBRAFISH.<br />
D. Park, J. Meidenbauer, W. L. Seng and P. McGrath. Phylonix, Cambridge, MA.<br />
Zebrafish has been shown to be a predictive animal model for assessing drug induced<br />
seizure-like activity. In a recent study, using a video camera, we recorded<br />
swim movement <strong>of</strong> 6 dpf zebrafish for 60 min after treatment with 9 compounds<br />
known to induce seizures in mammals including: aminophylline hydrate, 4aminopyridine,<br />
amoxapine, bicuculline methoiodide, enoxacin, methoxychlorate,<br />
pentylenetetrazole, picrotoxin, and strychnine hemisulphate, and a negative control,<br />
lidocaine. Using video recordings, we quantitated high speed (>20 mm/sec)<br />
movement which correlated with seizure-like activity. Distance moved (cm) at high<br />
speed in 1 min intervals was plotted against recording time. As shown by each time<br />
course curve, 7 test drugs, aminophylline hydrate, 4-aminopyridine, amoxapine,<br />
methoxychlorate, pentylenetetrazole, picrotoxin, and strychnine hemisulphate, induced<br />
peak movement. In addition, although the kinetics <strong>of</strong> induction and the duration<br />
<strong>of</strong> seizure-like activity varied by drug, a dose-dependent increase in high<br />
speed movement was observed for 7 test drugs. Cumulative distance moved (cm) at<br />
high speed after drug treatment was also plotted against time and 8 test drugs,<br />
aminophylline hydrate, 4-aminopyridine, amoxapine, bicuculline methoiodide,<br />
methoxychlorate, pentylenetetrazole, picrotoxin, and strychnine hemisulphate,<br />
showed a dose-dependent change. Drugs known to cause seizure effects in mammals<br />
showed similar effects in zebrafish. Since the assay correctly predicted results<br />
for 8 <strong>of</strong> 9 positive drugs, sensitivity was 89% (excellent). Our data support use <strong>of</strong> zebrafish<br />
model for assessing drug induced seizures. This functional motility assay can<br />
be combined with other zebrafish assays to assess drug effects on CNS. Advantages<br />
<strong>of</strong> zebrafish for safety and toxicity studies include: large number <strong>of</strong> embryos per<br />
mating, drug delivery directly in the fish water, small amount <strong>of</strong> compound required<br />
(μM vs mM) and statistically significant number <strong>of</strong> animals per experiment.<br />
1743 VALIDATION OF AN AUTOMATED SCREENING ASSAY<br />
BASED IN A ZEBRAFISH MODEL FOR THE<br />
DETECTION OF COMPOUNDS THAT INHIBIT<br />
ANGIOGENESIS.<br />
C. Quevedo, C. Callol and A. Letamendia. Scientific, Biobide, San Sebastian,<br />
Guipuzkoa, Spain. Sponsor: S. Tripathi.<br />
Angiogenesis plays an essential role in tumor growth and metastasis, so it is a wellestablished<br />
therapeutic target. <strong>The</strong> zebrafish is the only vertebrate model compatible<br />
with the paradigms <strong>of</strong> drug discovery. <strong>The</strong> small size and transparency <strong>of</strong> zebrafish<br />
embryos make them amenable for the automation necessary in<br />
high-throughput screens. We have developed an automated, quantitative screening<br />
assay for the discovery <strong>of</strong> antiangiogenic compounds using transgenic zebrafish embryos<br />
that express Cop-GFP under the control <strong>of</strong> the endothelial specific flk-1 promoter.<br />
<strong>The</strong> assay includes automated methods for embryo dispensation, compound<br />
delivery and embryo imaging. <strong>The</strong> angiogenic vessels that perfuse the trunk <strong>of</strong> the<br />
embryo (intersegmental vessels) at ~24 hours post-fertilization constitute the readout<br />
<strong>of</strong> the assay. To validate this method, a battery <strong>of</strong> known inhibitors for different<br />
targets implicated in angiogenesis (mainly Tyrosine kinase inhibitors) has being<br />
used. We can discriminate different and specific phenotypes related with vascular<br />
disruption (endothelial proliferation and migration and neovascular stabilization).<br />
Our data shows the suitability <strong>of</strong> a vertebrate animal model for drug discovery assays<br />
with libraries <strong>of</strong> multiple compounds as well as the capacity to visualize antiangiogenic<br />
compounds with high specificity and sensibility in an in vivo model.<br />
374 SOT 2011 ANNUAL MEETING<br />
1744 THE EFFECTS OF CHEMICALS IN THE U.S. EPA’S<br />
TOXCAST LIBRARY ON CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS<br />
AND ZEBRAFISH DEVELOPMENT.<br />
W. A. Boyd 1 , M. V. Smith 2 and J. H. Freedman 1 . 1 NIEHS, Durham, NC and<br />
2 SRA International, Durham, NC.<br />
<strong>The</strong> need to characterize the potential toxicity <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> chemicals has led<br />
government organizations to explore the use <strong>of</strong> high-throughput in vitro screens<br />
and alternative model systems. <strong>The</strong>se approaches are part <strong>of</strong> an effort to develop a<br />
tiered toxicity testing scheme. As part <strong>of</strong> this effort, the EPA developed a standardized<br />
collection <strong>of</strong> chemicals: the ToxCast Phase I library. This library is composed <strong>of</strong><br />
309 unique compounds, including pesticide active ingredients that have well-characterized<br />
mammalian toxicities. <strong>The</strong> nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and zebrafish<br />
Danio rerio are two popular model organisms used to study developmental<br />
biology that are also used as alternative toxicological models. <strong>The</strong> effects <strong>of</strong> the<br />
chemicals in the ToxCast library on zebrafish embryonic development and C. elegans<br />
larval growth were compared. <strong>The</strong> C. elegans growth assay monitors changes<br />
in nematode size following exposure to chemicals from the first through the last larval<br />
stage, while the zebrafish assay monitors malformations in larvae following exposure<br />
from 6h to 6d post-fertilization. <strong>The</strong> ToxCast library was screened for effects<br />
on C. elegans growth at seven concentrations (0.5 - 200 μM) and zebrafish development<br />
at eleven concentrations (0.001 – 80 μM). A high percentage <strong>of</strong> compounds<br />
caused developmental defects in zebrafish and decreased growth in C. elegans.<br />
A high concordance was observed between the nematode and zebrafish<br />
results. Over 40% <strong>of</strong> the compounds were toxic to both organisms and 30% were<br />
not toxic to either at the maximum concentrations tested. <strong>The</strong> class <strong>of</strong> pesticides<br />
with the highest number <strong>of</strong> toxic compounds included conazoles, pyrethroids, and<br />
organophosphates. <strong>The</strong> compounds’ activities in both organisms were highly correlated<br />
with log octanol-water partition coefficients and molecular weights. <strong>The</strong>se results<br />
can be compared with those obtained from rodent assays and high-throughput<br />
screens to assess their utility in tiered toxicity testing.<br />
1745 A PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS OF ARSENIC EXPOSED<br />
ZEBRAFISH (DANIO RERIO) SUGGESTS ALTERED<br />
LIPID METABOLISM.<br />
P. Carlson 1 and R. J. Van Beneden 1, 2 . 1 Graduate School <strong>of</strong> Biomedical Sciences,<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Maine, Orono, ME and 2 School <strong>of</strong> Marine Sciences, University <strong>of</strong><br />
Maine, Orono, ME. Sponsor: G. Mayer.<br />
<strong>The</strong> zebrafish (Danio rerio), a well-established model <strong>of</strong> liver development and disease,<br />
was used to investigate differential protein expression following arsenic exposure.<br />
Several disorders have been linked to arsenic exposure including cancer, diabetes<br />
and lipid metabolism dysregulation, although the mechanisms <strong>of</strong> arsenic<br />
toxicity are still poorly understood. In vitro, arsenic has been shown to induce free<br />
radical formation as well as to interfere with the phosphorylation <strong>of</strong> a number <strong>of</strong><br />
key regulatory proteins, including p53 and the epidermal growth factor receptor.<br />
Other studies have described altered gene expression and mitogenic signaling, but<br />
the effects on protein expression following arsenic exposure over a prolonged period<br />
have yet to be described. A bottom-up proteomics approach was employed to investigate<br />
arsenic induced alteration in the zebrafish liver proteome. Over 740 proteins<br />
were identified, with fewer than 2% showing differential expression. <strong>The</strong> data<br />
suggest that arsenic exposure altered the expression <strong>of</strong> proteins involved in lipid metabolism.<br />
Two key pathways have been identified, involving peroxisome proliferator-activated<br />
receptor gamma (PPARγ) and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha<br />
(HNF4α). PPARγ acts as a key regulator <strong>of</strong> adipocyte differentiation and blood<br />
glucose homeostasis; HNF4α is a transcription factor for several lipid metabolism<br />
enzymes and insulin. Altered expression <strong>of</strong> proteins in the PPARγ pathway include<br />
fatty acid binding protein (FABP), collagen 1A1 (COL1A1); enzymes altered in the<br />
HNF4α pathway include hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase like 2 (HSDL2) and Nacetylgalactosaminidase<br />
α (NAGA). <strong>The</strong>se results are being confirmed by ongoing<br />
studies <strong>of</strong> the regulation <strong>of</strong> PPARγ and HNF4α.<br />
1746 LOCALIZATION OF MEGALIN ALONG ZEBRAFISH<br />
LATERAL LINE.<br />
C. Doshna 1 , C. Nykyforchyn 2 , P. Burch 1 and M. D. Aleo 1 . 1 DSRD, Pfizer,<br />
Groton, CT and 2 University <strong>of</strong> CT, Storrs, CT.<br />
Megalin is most abundantly located in renal proximal tubule & inner ear epithelial<br />
cells in mammals, acting as an endocytic receptor for aminoglycosides (AG) &<br />
other polybasic drugs that cause nephrotoxic & ototoxic effects in mammals. <strong>The</strong><br />
presence <strong>of</strong> megalin has been shown in zebrafish (Zfish) embryos however, its potential<br />
role in the ototoxic response to AG & polymyxins has only recently been<br />
suggested through work by this lab. <strong>The</strong> fact that Zfish hair cells are both physio-