title: Cross-species toxicogenomic analyses and phenotypic anchoring in response to groundwater low-level pollution.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Comparison of toxicogenomic data facilitates the identification of deregulated gene patterns and maximizes health risk prediction in human.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here, we performed phenotypic anchoring on the effects of acute exposure to low-grade polluted groundwater using mouse and zebrafish. Also, we evaluated two windows of chronic exposure in mouse, starting in utero and at the end of lactation. Bioinformatic analysis of livers microarray data showed that the number of deregulated biofunctions and pathways is higher after acute exposure, compared to the chronic one. It also revealed specific profiles of altered gene expression in all treatments, pointing to stress response/mitochondrial pathways as major players of environmental toxicity. Of note, dysfunction of steroid hormones was also predicted by bioinformatic analysis and verified in both models by traditional approaches, serum estrogens measurement and vitellogenin mRNA determination in mice and zebrafish, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our report, phenotypic anchoring in two vertebrate model organisms highlights the toxicity of low-grade pollution, with varying susceptibility based on exposure window. The overlay of zebrafish and mice deregulated pathways, more than single genes, is useful in risk identification from chemicals implicated in the observed effects.
authors.forename: Immacolata
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Porreca
authors.forename: Fulvio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: D'Angelo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gentilcore
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carchia
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amoresano
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Affuso
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ceccarelli
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Libera
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Francesco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Guadagno
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mallardo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nardone
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maccarone
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pane
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scarfò
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sordino
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Felice
authors.affiliation: IRGS, Biogem, Via Camporeale, 83031 Ariano Irpino, Avellino, Italy. coambros@unisannio.it.
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ambrosino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010641:Phenotype; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D036401:Toxicity Tests, Chronic; D043922:Toxicogenetics; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers