Low-level pyrene exposure causes cardiac toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

Knockdown of AHR1A but not AHR1B exacerbates PAH and PCB-126 toxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

Various environmental contaminants are known agonists for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which is highly conserved across vertebrate species. Due to gene duplication events before and after the divergence of ray- and lobe-finned fishes, many teleosts have multiple AHR isoforms. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has three identified AHRs: AHR1A and AHR1B, the roles of which are not yet well elucidated, and AHR2, which has been shown to mediate the toxicity of various anthropogenic compounds including dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, we sought to explore the role of the two AHR1 isoforms in PAH- and PCB-induced toxicity in zebrafish embryos utilizing morpholino gene knockdown of the AHR isoforms. Knockdown of AHR1B did not affect the toxicity of PAH mixtures or PCB-126, whereas knockdown of AHR1A exacerbated the cardiac toxicity caused by PAH mixtures and PCB-126. Knockdown of AHR1A did not impact the mRNA expression of CYP1A, CYP1B1, and CYP1C1 in exposed embryos, but it did result in increased CYP1 activity in exposed embryos. As has been shown previously, knockdown of AHR2 resulted in protection from PAH- and PCB-induced cardiac deformities and prevented CYP1 enzyme activity in exposed embryos. Co-knockdown of AHR1A and AHR2 resulted in an intermediate response compared to knockdown of AHR1A and AHR2 individually; co-knockdown did not exacerbate nor protect from PAH-induced deformities and embryos exhibited an intermediate CYP1 enzyme activity response. In contrast, co-knockdown of AHR1A and AHR2 did protect from PCB-126-induced deformities. These results suggest that AHR1A is not a nonfunctional receptor as previously thought and may play a role in the normal physiology of zebrafish during development and/or the toxicity of environmental contaminants in early life stages.

Phenanthrene exposure causes cardiac arrhythmia in embryonic zebrafish via perturbing calcium handling

Phenanthrene (Phe) is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment. It is known that Phe has cardiotoxic effects, but knowledge concerning the mechanism of cardiac dysfunction caused by Phe is still limited. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of Phe, and an increase of an irregular rhythm was observed in Phe treated embryos. Disordered calcium (Ca(2+)) handling characterized by impaired sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) uptake, and obvious Ca(2+) accumulation in the cytoplasm was observed in rat embryonic cardiac myoblasts (H9C2) exposed to Phe. The mRNA level as well as protein expression of the SERCA2a Ca(2+) pump in zebrafish hearts or H9C2 cells was significantly decreased by Phe exposure. The activity of Ca(2+)-ATPase in H9C2 cells was inhibited by Phe. Both the mRNA and protein levels of TBX5, a direct regulator of SERCA2a, were significantly decreased by Phe exposure. These results suggested that exposure to Phe could lead to arrhythmia in zebrafish embryos via perturbing the calcium handling pathway.

Phenanthrene exposure produces cardiac defects during embryo development of zebrafish (Danio rerio) through activation of MMP-9

Phenanthrene (Phe) is one of the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the aquatic environment as a result of human activities. It is widely accepted that Phe has cardiotoxic effects. Even so, knowledge concerning the mechanism(s) of cardiac development toxicity is still limited. In this study, we exposed zebrafish embryos to environmentally relevant concentrations of Phe and then investigated its cardiotoxic effects and the mechanism(s) involved. Some cardiac morphogenetic defects, which was characterized by an abnormally looped and enlarged heart, dilated and thinner ventricular wall, and increased interstitial fibrosis, were observed in the Phe treated groups. The mRNA and protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), as well as the MMP-9 activity, were induced. Moreover, during co-treatment of the zebrafish embryos with MMP-9 inhibitor, the cardiac defects caused by Phe were attenuated. In addition, Phe exposure led to an up-regulation of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), which plays a crucial role in mediating cardiac fibrosis. Taken together, our data indicated that the exposure to Phe of zebrafish embryos disrupted normal cardiac development, and that the cardiac defects induced by Phe were mediated by the MMP-9, while TGF-β was also involved in these cardiac defects.

Zebrafish as a model for systems biology

Zebrafish offer a unique vertebrate model for research areas such as drug development, disease modeling and other biological exploration. There is significant conservation of genetics and other cellular networks among zebrafish and other vertebrate models, including humans. Here we discuss the recent work and efforts made in different fields of biology to explore the potential of zebrafish. Along with this, we also reviewed the concept of systems biology. A biological system is made up of a large number of components that interact in a huge variety of combinations. To understand completely the behavior of a system, it is important to know its components and interactions, and this can be achieved through a systems biology approach. At the end of the paper we present a concept of integrating zebrafish into the systems biology approach.