Impacts of TCDD and MeHg on DNA methylation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) across two generations.

This study aimed to investigate whether dioxin (TCDD) and methylmercury (MeHg) pose a threat to offspring of fish exposed to elevated concentrations of these chemicals via epigenetic-based mechanisms. Adult female zebrafish were fed diets added either 20 µg/kg 2,3,7,8 TCDD or 10 mg/kg MeHg for 47 days, or 10 mg/kg 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA), a hypomethylating agent, for 32 days, and bred with unexposed males in clean water to produce F1 and F2 offspring. Global DNA methylation, promoter CpG island methylation and target gene transcription in liver of adult females and in 3 days post fertilization (dpf) F1 and F2 embryos were determined with HPLC, a novel CpG island tiling array containing 54,933 different probes and RT-qPCR, respectively. The results showed that chemical treatment had no significant effect on global DNA methylation levels in F1 (MeHg and TCDD) and F2 (MeHg) embryos and only a limited number of genes were identified with altered methylation levels at their promoter regions. CYP1A1 transcription, an established marker of TCDD exposure, was elevated 27-fold in F1 embryos compared to the controls, matching the high levels of CYP1A1 expression observed in F0 TCDD-treated females. This suggests that maternal transfer of TCDD is a significant route of exposure for the F1 offspring. In conclusion, the selected doses of TCDD and MeHg, two chemicals often found in high concentrations in fish, appear to have only modest effects on DNA methylation in F1 (MeHg and TCDD) and F2 (MeHg) embryos of treated F0 females.

Butein up-regulates the expression of the π class of glutathione S-transferase in rat primary hepatocytes through the ERK/AP-1 pathway.

Induction of phase II enzymes is an important mechanism of chemoprevention. Here we compared the effects of chalcones on the expression of the π class of glutathione S-transferase (GSTP) in rat primary hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were treated with 10 or 25 µM of phloretin or butein for 24 h. Both butein and phloretin dose-dependently increased GSTP protein expression, and the induction potency of butein was stronger than that of phloretin. The increase in GSTP mRNA in cells treated with 25 µM of phloretin and butein was 107% and 211%, respectively (P < 0.05). Butein increased GST enzyme activity by 27% compared with that in the control cells (P < 0.05). In contrast, phloretin had no significant effect on GST enzyme activity. The pTA-luciferase reporter construct with the rat -2.7 kb GSTP promoter region was transiently transfected into Clone 9 liver cells, and the luciferase activity in butein-treated cells was 1.1-fold higher than that in control cells (P < 0.05). GSTP enhancer 1 (GPE1) deletion abolished the induction of reporter activity by butein. The phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), but not of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, was stimulated in the presence of butein. Pretreatment with PD98059, an ERK inhibitor, alleviated the increase in activator protein-1 (AP-1)-DNA binding activity and also the activation of GSTP protein expression by butein. Moreover, c-Jun is likely to bind to the GPE1. Silencing of ERK2 by siRNA gene knockdown reduced the butein-induced expression of GSTP. In conclusion, the increased GSTP expression by butein is likely related to the ERK-AP-1 pathway.

Stress-induced expression of protein disulfide isomerase associated 3 (PDIA3) in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

In mammals, disulfide isomerase associated 3, PDIA3, is a member of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins, which can be induced by oxidative stress; however, its role in relation to stress regulation is still unknown in fish. Here, we report the cloning of a coding region of PDIA3 from the Atlantic salmon. PDIA3 mRNA expression was evaluated in the liver of Atlantic salmon exposed to environmental hyperoxia stress and toxic perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure stress. The PDIA3 sequence contained two PDI-typical thioredoxin active sites of WCGHC and shared approximately 70% identity with mammalian PDIA3, and its mRNA was primarily expressed in the liver. PDIA3 was significantly increased in the liver of Atlantic salmon exposed to hyperoxic water during smoltification. Also Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), other markers of oxidative stress, were upregulated by hyperoxia. Furthermore, PFOS exposure of hepatocytes resulted in elevated mRNA expression of PDIA3, Mn-SOD and C/EBPdelta as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). These results indicate a signaling connection between oxidative stress and ER stress. PDIA3 and C/EBPdelta may be valuable markers in fish for exposure and effect to environmental stress.