Abstract
Sea urchin (Lytechinus anemesis) embryos were used as an experimental system to investigate the mechanisms of the developmental toxicity of creosote, one of the most widely used wood preserving chemicals, as well as some of its polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) constituents (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, fluorene, pyrene and quinoline). Data suggest that creosote and PAHs affect axial development and patterning in sea urchin embryos by disrupting the regulation of β-catenin, a crucial transcriptional co-activator of specific target genes in the Wnt/wg signaling pathway. When ciliated blastula stage embryos were exposed to these compounds, they developed into exogastrulae with completely evaginated archentera, demonstrating that these chemicals disrupt axial development and patterning. This response occurred in a dose-dependent fashion, with the EC50 of creosote for complete exogastrulation being 1.57 ppm, while the EC50s of the PAHs ranged from 0.41 ppm (2.0 μM) to 4.33 ppm (33.5 μM). Morphologically, the exogastrulae that developed from embryos exposed to creosote and PAHs appeared to be identical to those that resulted from exposure to lithium chloride, a classical agent known to induce vegetalization and exogastrulation in sea urchin embryos. Immunological studies using antibodies against β-catenin, a multi-functional protein known to be involved in cell-cell adhesion and cell fate specification during embryonic development, revealed high levels of nuclear accumulation of β-catenin by cells of creosote- and PAH-exposed embryos, irrespective of their positions in the developing embryo. Dissociated embryonic cells cultured in the presence of these agents rapidly responded in a similar fashion. Since β-catenin accumulation occurs in nuclei of several types of cancer cells, it is possible this may be a general mechanism by which PAHs affect a variety of different cell types.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 93-108 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Toxicology |
| Volume | 186 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 15 2003 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- β-catenin
- Creosote
- Developmental toxicity
- Exogastrulation
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
- Sea urchin embryo
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Toxicology
Cite this
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons disrupt axial development in sea urchin embryos through a β-catenin dependent pathway. / Pillai, Murali C.; Vines, Carol A.; Wikramanayake, Athula; Cherr, Gary N.
In: Toxicology, Vol. 186, No. 1-2, 15.04.2003, p. 93-108.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons disrupt axial development in sea urchin embryos through a β-catenin dependent pathway
AU - Pillai, Murali C.
AU - Vines, Carol A.
AU - Wikramanayake, Athula
AU - Cherr, Gary N.
PY - 2003/4/15
Y1 - 2003/4/15
N2 - Sea urchin (Lytechinus anemesis) embryos were used as an experimental system to investigate the mechanisms of the developmental toxicity of creosote, one of the most widely used wood preserving chemicals, as well as some of its polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) constituents (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, fluorene, pyrene and quinoline). Data suggest that creosote and PAHs affect axial development and patterning in sea urchin embryos by disrupting the regulation of β-catenin, a crucial transcriptional co-activator of specific target genes in the Wnt/wg signaling pathway. When ciliated blastula stage embryos were exposed to these compounds, they developed into exogastrulae with completely evaginated archentera, demonstrating that these chemicals disrupt axial development and patterning. This response occurred in a dose-dependent fashion, with the EC50 of creosote for complete exogastrulation being 1.57 ppm, while the EC50s of the PAHs ranged from 0.41 ppm (2.0 μM) to 4.33 ppm (33.5 μM). Morphologically, the exogastrulae that developed from embryos exposed to creosote and PAHs appeared to be identical to those that resulted from exposure to lithium chloride, a classical agent known to induce vegetalization and exogastrulation in sea urchin embryos. Immunological studies using antibodies against β-catenin, a multi-functional protein known to be involved in cell-cell adhesion and cell fate specification during embryonic development, revealed high levels of nuclear accumulation of β-catenin by cells of creosote- and PAH-exposed embryos, irrespective of their positions in the developing embryo. Dissociated embryonic cells cultured in the presence of these agents rapidly responded in a similar fashion. Since β-catenin accumulation occurs in nuclei of several types of cancer cells, it is possible this may be a general mechanism by which PAHs affect a variety of different cell types.
AB - Sea urchin (Lytechinus anemesis) embryos were used as an experimental system to investigate the mechanisms of the developmental toxicity of creosote, one of the most widely used wood preserving chemicals, as well as some of its polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) constituents (phenanthrene, fluoranthene, fluorene, pyrene and quinoline). Data suggest that creosote and PAHs affect axial development and patterning in sea urchin embryos by disrupting the regulation of β-catenin, a crucial transcriptional co-activator of specific target genes in the Wnt/wg signaling pathway. When ciliated blastula stage embryos were exposed to these compounds, they developed into exogastrulae with completely evaginated archentera, demonstrating that these chemicals disrupt axial development and patterning. This response occurred in a dose-dependent fashion, with the EC50 of creosote for complete exogastrulation being 1.57 ppm, while the EC50s of the PAHs ranged from 0.41 ppm (2.0 μM) to 4.33 ppm (33.5 μM). Morphologically, the exogastrulae that developed from embryos exposed to creosote and PAHs appeared to be identical to those that resulted from exposure to lithium chloride, a classical agent known to induce vegetalization and exogastrulation in sea urchin embryos. Immunological studies using antibodies against β-catenin, a multi-functional protein known to be involved in cell-cell adhesion and cell fate specification during embryonic development, revealed high levels of nuclear accumulation of β-catenin by cells of creosote- and PAH-exposed embryos, irrespective of their positions in the developing embryo. Dissociated embryonic cells cultured in the presence of these agents rapidly responded in a similar fashion. Since β-catenin accumulation occurs in nuclei of several types of cancer cells, it is possible this may be a general mechanism by which PAHs affect a variety of different cell types.
KW - β-catenin
KW - Creosote
KW - Developmental toxicity
KW - Exogastrulation
KW - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
KW - Sea urchin embryo
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037447583&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0037447583&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0300-483X(02)00695-9
DO - 10.1016/S0300-483X(02)00695-9
M3 - Article
VL - 186
SP - 93
EP - 108
JO - Toxicology
JF - Toxicology
SN - 0300-483X
IS - 1-2
ER -