PUBLICATION
Dynamic accumulation and redistribution of methylmercury in the lens of developing zebrafish embryos and larvae
- Authors
- Korbas, M., Krone, P.H., Pickering, I.J., and George, G.N.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-100601-29
- Date
- 2010
- Source
- Journal of biological inorganic chemistry : JBIC : a publication of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry 15(7): 1137-1145 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Krone, Patrick H.
- Keywords
- Methylmercury, Zebrafish, X-ray fluorescence imaging, Lens
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Embryo, Nonmammalian*/anatomy & histology
- Embryo, Nonmammalian*/metabolism
- Humans
- Larva*/anatomy & histology
- Larva*/metabolism
- Lens, Crystalline/anatomy & histology
- Lens, Crystalline/metabolism*
- Methylmercury Compounds/metabolism*
- Methylmercury Compounds/toxicity
- Tissue Distribution
- Water Pollutants, Chemical/metabolism
- Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity
- Zebrafish*/anatomy & histology
- Zebrafish*/metabolism
- Zebrafish*/physiology
- PubMed
- 20512600 Full text @ J. Biol. Inorg. Chem.
Citation
Korbas, M., Krone, P.H., Pickering, I.J., and George, G.N. (2010) Dynamic accumulation and redistribution of methylmercury in the lens of developing zebrafish embryos and larvae. Journal of biological inorganic chemistry : JBIC : a publication of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry. 15(7):1137-1145.
Abstract
Neurotoxic methylmercury compounds are widespread in the environment and human exposure worries many communities worldwide. Despite numerous studies addressing methylmercury toxicity, the detailed mechanisms underlying its transport and accumulation, especially during early developmental stages, remain unclear. Zebrafish larvae are increasingly used as a model system for studies of vertebrate development and toxicology. Previously, we have identified the lens epithelium as the primary site for cellular mercury accumulation in developing zebrafish larvae (Korbas et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105:12108-12112, 2008). Here we present a study on the dynamics of methylmercury accumulation and redistribution in the lens following embryonic and larval exposure to methylmercury L: -cysteineate using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging. We observed highly specific accumulation of mercury in the lens that continues well after removal of fish from treatment solutions, thus significantly increasing the post-exposure loading of mercury in the lens. The results indicate that mercury is redistributed from the original target tissue to the eye lens, identifying the developing lens as a major sink for methylmercury in early embryonic and larval stages.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping