Transcriptional and Behavioral Responses of Zebrafish Larvae to Microcystin-LR Exposure

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR), the most toxic member of microcystin family, inhibits protein phosphatase PP2A, triggers oxidative stress and induces hepatotoxicity. Gene expression profiling of MC-LR treated larvae using DNA microarray analysis revealed effects in the retinal visual cycle and pigmentation synthesis pathways that have not been previously associated with MC-LR. Liver-related genes were also differentially expressed. The microarray data were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Our findings provide new evidence that microcystin-LR exposure of zebrafish larvae modulates the retinal visual cycle and pigmentation synthesis pathways and ultimately alter larval zebrafish behavior

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Tzima E, Serifi I, Tsikari I, Alzualde A, Leonardos I, Papamarcaki T