[Analyzing differentially expressed genes in the brain of rat exposed to mercury chloride using cDNA microarray].
This study is to determine differentially expressed genes in the brain of rat exposed to mercury chloride and investigate the molecular mechanism of mercury neurotoxicity using cDNA microarray. The experimental group of rats were treated with 0.5 mg/kg weight of mercury chloride via hypodermic injection. The differentially expressed genes in rat brains after I h of injection were scanned by the cDNA microarray. The gene expression profiles show that there are 742 genes, in which 562 are upregulated and 180 are downregulated. Further analysis by bioinformatic technique disclosed that the differentially expressed genes were involved in many biological processes, which included immuno-response and detoxifcation, transfer and expression of genetic information, cell signalling, neurotransduction, cell proliferation and cell differentiation, apoptosis, etc. The result of analysis indicated these genes might be related to the neurotoxicity of mercury. The investigation of differentially expressed genes using cDNA microarray provides a new approach to further disclose the neurotoxic mechanism of mercury.
Cheng
Jin-ping
JP
Yuan
Tao
T
Ji
Xiu-ling
XL
Zheng
Min
M
Wang
Yu
Y
Wang
Wen-hua
WH
Zhang
Qing-hua
QH
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008297:Male; D017669:Mercury Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D017669:Mercury Compounds; C015728:calomel