title: Using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model animal for assessing the toxicity induced by microcystin-LR.
abstract: Among more than 75 variants of microcystin (MC), microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is one of the most common toxins. In this study, the feasibility of using Caenorhabditis elegans to evaluate MC-LR toxicity was studied. C. elegans was treated with MC-LR at different concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 80 Ig/L. The results showed that MC-LR could reduce lifespan, delay development, lengthen generation time, decrease brood size, suppress locomotion behavior, and decreases hsp-16-2-gfp expression. The endpoints of generation time, brood size, and percentage of the population expressing hsp-16-2-gfp were very sensitive to 1.0 microg/L of MC-LR, and would be more useful for the evaluation of MC-LR toxicity. Furthermore, the tissue-specific hsp-16-2-gfp expressions were investigated in MC-LR-exposed animals, and the nervous system and intestine were primarily affected by MC-LR. Therefore, the generation time, brood size, and hsp-16-2-gfp expression in C. elegans can be explored to serve as valuable endpoints for evaluating the potential toxicity from MC-LR exposure.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. lyh1216@126.com
authors.forename: Yunhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yuepu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.forename: Dayong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D049628:Body Size; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000633:toxicity; D052998:Microcystins / Q000633:toxicity*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C108431:hsp-16.2 protein, C elegans; C057862:cyanoginosin LR