Effect of Benzo(a)pyrene on the craniofacial development of zebrafish
Mentor 1
Ava Udvadia
Mentor 2
Juleen Dickson
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
24-4-2015 3:45 PM
Description
Benzo(a)pyrene is a byproduct of partially combusted fossil fuels, found in urban runoff, and a known carcinogen that has been reported to cause jaw deformities in rockfish. In order to further investigate the effects of benzo(a)pyrene on development we are using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism in order to observe and quantify the development of the exposed embryos. Our hypothesis is that benzo(a)pyrene disrupts the migration of the neural crest cells which ultimately form the cartilage elements formed in the jaw. We exposed zebrafish embryos 5 hours to 5 days post fertilization at lower concentrations (5-25 nanomolar). These concentrations are environmentally relevant since benzo(a)pyrene has been found at a concentration of 13 nanomolar in a Chinese estuary. Since there were varying concentrations found in the same environment we are also testing higher concentrations (0.05-25 micromolar). All exposures also contained a control and a vehicle control. After being exposed the fish were then stained with alcian blue and their cartilage elements were measured. We found that benzo(a)pyrene has a significant effect at lower concentrations (5-25 nanomolar). This characteristic suggests that there is an anti-hormesis phenomenon present in our data. This phenomenon is defined as the lower concentrations (5-25 nanomolar) showing significance to the vehicle control and higher concentrations (0.05-25 micromolar). To continue our analysis we are running exposures using lower concentrations to observe if there is a continuation of the present phenomenon. We will also be documenting and quantifying the condition of the joint associated with the mouth. Another future goal of this project is to develop exposure windows to identify the developmental process benzo(a)pyrene is disrupting. The focus of this research is to quantify craniofacial deformities in zebrafish associated with exposure to benzo(a)pyrene resulting in a disruption of gene expression.
Effect of Benzo(a)pyrene on the craniofacial development of zebrafish
Union Wisconsin Room
Benzo(a)pyrene is a byproduct of partially combusted fossil fuels, found in urban runoff, and a known carcinogen that has been reported to cause jaw deformities in rockfish. In order to further investigate the effects of benzo(a)pyrene on development we are using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism in order to observe and quantify the development of the exposed embryos. Our hypothesis is that benzo(a)pyrene disrupts the migration of the neural crest cells which ultimately form the cartilage elements formed in the jaw. We exposed zebrafish embryos 5 hours to 5 days post fertilization at lower concentrations (5-25 nanomolar). These concentrations are environmentally relevant since benzo(a)pyrene has been found at a concentration of 13 nanomolar in a Chinese estuary. Since there were varying concentrations found in the same environment we are also testing higher concentrations (0.05-25 micromolar). All exposures also contained a control and a vehicle control. After being exposed the fish were then stained with alcian blue and their cartilage elements were measured. We found that benzo(a)pyrene has a significant effect at lower concentrations (5-25 nanomolar). This characteristic suggests that there is an anti-hormesis phenomenon present in our data. This phenomenon is defined as the lower concentrations (5-25 nanomolar) showing significance to the vehicle control and higher concentrations (0.05-25 micromolar). To continue our analysis we are running exposures using lower concentrations to observe if there is a continuation of the present phenomenon. We will also be documenting and quantifying the condition of the joint associated with the mouth. Another future goal of this project is to develop exposure windows to identify the developmental process benzo(a)pyrene is disrupting. The focus of this research is to quantify craniofacial deformities in zebrafish associated with exposure to benzo(a)pyrene resulting in a disruption of gene expression.
