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Title: Coupling Genome-wide Transcriptomics and Developmental Toxicity Profiles in Zebrafish to Characterize Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Hazard

Journal Article · · International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Online)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are diverse environmental pollutants associated with adverse human health effects. Many studies focus on the carcinogenic effects of a limited number of PAHs and there is an increasing need to understand mechanisms of developmental toxicity of more varied yet environmentally relevant PAHs. A previous study characterized the developmental toxicity of 123 PAHs in zebrafish. Based on phenotypic responses ranging from complete inactivity to acute mortality, we classified these PAHs into eight bins, selected 16 representative PAHs, and exposed developing zebrafish to the concentration of each PAH that induced 80% phenotypic effect. We conducted RNA sequencing at 48 h post fertilization to identify gene expression changes as a result of PAH exposure. Using the Context Likelihood of Relatedness algorithm, we inferred a network that links the PAHs based on coordinated gene responses to PAH exposure. The 16 PAHs formed two broad clusters: Cluster A was transcriptionally more similar to the controls, while Cluster B consisted of PAHs that were generally more developmentally toxic, significantly elevated cyp1a transcript levels, and induced Ahr2-dependent Cyp1a protein expression in the skin confirmed by gene-silencing studies. We found that cyp1a transcript levels were associated with transcriptomic response, but not with PAH developmental toxicity. While all cluster B PAHs predominantly activated Ahr2, they also each enriched unique pathways like ion transport signaling, which likely points to differing molecular events between the PAHs downstream of Ahr2. Thus, using a systems biology approach, we have begun to evaluate, classify, and define mechanisms of PAH toxicity.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1545014
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-143672; IJMCFK
Journal Information:
International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Online), Vol. 20, Issue 10; ISSN 1422-0067
Publisher:
MDPICopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 26 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Air-water exchange of PAHs and OPAHs at a superfund mega-site journal December 2017
Defects in cardiac function precede morphological abnormalities in fish embryos exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons journal April 2004
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Ligand-Specific Transcriptional Mechanisms Underlie Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Mediated Developmental Toxicity of Oxygenated PAHs journal July 2015
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minet: A R/Bioconductor Package for Inferring Large Transcriptional Networks Using Mutual Information journal October 2008
Identification and developmental expression of the full complement of Cytochrome P450 genes in Zebrafish journal January 2010
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Characterization and Carcinogenic Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Respirable Fraction of Airborne Particles in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area journal January 2005
Lung Cancer Risk after Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: A Review and Meta-Analysis journal June 2004
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor–Independent Toxicity of Weathered Crude Oil during Fish Development journal December 2005
Effect of Prenatal Exposure to Airborne Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbonson Neurodevelopment in the First 3 Years of Life among Inner-City Children journal August 2006
Large-Scale Mapping and Validation of Escherichia coli Transcriptional Regulation from a Compendium of Expression Profiles journal January 2007
AHR2 Mutant Reveals Functional Diversity of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptors in Zebrafish journal January 2012
Genome-Wide Identification of Molecular Pathways and Biomarkers in Response to Arsenic Exposure in Zebrafish Liver journal July 2013
AHR2 required for normal behavioral responses and proper development of the skeletal and reproductive systems in zebrafish journal March 2018
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How to deal with Lipophilic and Volatile Organic Substances in Microtiter Plate Assays journal January 2008
Xenobiotic metabolism in the zebrafish: a review of the spatiotemporal distribution, modulation and activity of Cytochrome P450 families 1 to 3 journal January 2016
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Cited By (1)