Skip Navigation



ToxSci Advance Access published online on April 15, 2003
Toxicological Sciences, doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfg046
Toxicological Sciences © Society of Toxicology 2003; all rights reserved
This Article
Right arrow Advance Access manuscript (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
73/1/149    most recent
kfg046v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chow, E. S. H.
Right arrow Articles by Cheng, S. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Chow, E. S. H.
Right arrow Articles by Cheng, S. H.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Received November 13, 2002; accepted January 21, 2003
© 2003 Society of Toxicology

Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology

Cadmium Affects Muscle Type Development and Axon Growth in Zebrafish Embryonic Somitogenesis

Elly Suk Hen Chow 1 Shuk Han Cheng 1*

1 Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Hong Kong

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bhcheng{at}cityu.edu.hk.


  Abstract

We have previously reported that exposure to cadmium during zebrafish embryonic development caused morphological malformations of organs and ectopic expression of genes involved in regulating developmental process. One of the most common developmental defects observed was altered axial curvature resulting from defects in the myotomes of the somites. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of cadmium induced toxicity in zebrafish somitogenesis. We showed that the critical period of exposure was the gastrulation period which actually preceded the formation of the first morphologically distinct somites. The somites thus formed lost the typical chevron V-shape and are packed disorderly. The myogenic lineage commitment of the axial mesodermal cells was not affected as the myogenic regulatory transcription factors were expressed normally. There were, however, losses of fast and slow muscle fibres in the myotomes. The innervation of the muscle blocks by spinal motoneurons is an important process of the somitogenesis. Both primary and secondary motoneurons appeared to form normally while the axon growth is affected in cadmium treated embryos. The notochord, which is essential in the patterning of the somites and the central nervous system, showed abnormal morphological features and failed to extend to the tail region. Taken together, it appears that cadmium exposure led to abnormal somite patterning of the muscle fibres and defects in axonogenesis.

zebrafish embryos, cadmium, somite patterning, muscle cell type, axon growth, myogenic regulatory factors .


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
F. Tilton and R. L. Tanguay
Exposure to Sodium Metam during Zebrafish Somitogenesis Results in Early Transcriptional Indicators of the Ensuing Neuronal and Muscular Dysfunction
Toxicol. Sci., November 1, 2008; 106(1): 103 - 112.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
R. M. K. Yu, C. C. Lin, P. K. Chan, E. S. H. Chow, M. B. Murphy, B. P. Chan, F. Muller, U. Strahle, and S. H. Cheng
Four-Dimensional Imaging and Quantification of Gene Expression in Early Developing Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos
Toxicol. Sci., April 1, 2006; 90(2): 529 - 538.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
A. J. Hill, H. Teraoka, W. Heideman, and R. E. Peterson
Zebrafish as a Model Vertebrate for Investigating Chemical Toxicity
Toxicol. Sci., July 1, 2005; 86(1): 6 - 19.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
M. A. Haendel, F. Tilton, G. S. Bailey, and R. L. Tanguay
Developmental Toxicity of the Dithiocarbamate Pesticide Sodium Metam in Zebrafish
Toxicol. Sci., October 1, 2004; 81(2): 390 - 400.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.