An automated screening method for detecting compounds with goitrogenic activity using transgenic zebrafish embryos
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Plos one |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | Full Text |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203087 |
| Keywords | THYROID-GLAND; TOXICITY TEST; FISH; EXPRESSION; DISRUPTION; POLLUTANTS; CHEMICALS; EXPOSURE; MODEL; ASSAY |
| Description | The knowledge on environmentally relevant chemicals that may interfere with thyroid signaling is scarce. Here, we present a method for the screening of goitrogens, compounds that disrupt the thyroid gland function, based on the automatic orientation of zebrafish in a glass capillary and a subsequent imaging of reporter gene fluorescence in the thyroid gland of embryos of the transgenic zebrafish line tg(tg:mCherry). The tg(tg:mCherry) reporter gene indicates a compensatory upregulation of thyroglobulin, the thyroid hormone precursor, in response to inhibition of thyroid hormone synthesis. Fish embryos were exposed to a negative control compound (3,4-dichloroaniline), or a concentration series of known goitrogenic compounds (resorcinol, methimazole, potassium perchlorate, 6-propyl-2-thiouracil, ethylenethiourea, phloroglucinol, pyrazole) with maximum exposure concentration selected based on mortality and/or solubility. Exposure to 3,4-dichloroaniline decreased the fluorescence signal. All goitrogenic compounds exhibited clear concentration-dependent inductions of reporter fluorescence 1.4 to 2.6 fold above control levels. Concentration-response modelling was used to calculate goitrogenic potencies based on EC50 values. The new automated method offers an efficient screening approach for goitrogenic activity. |
| Related projects: |