title: Toxic effects of56Fe ion radiation on the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryonic development.
abstract: All living organisms and ecosystems are permanently exposed to ionizing radiation. Of all the types of ionizing radiation, heavy ions such as56Fe have the potential to cause the most severe biological effects. We therefore examined the effects and potential mechanisms of iron ion irradiation on the induction of developmental toxicity and apoptosis in zebrafish embryos. Zebrafish embryos at 4h post-fertilization (hpf) were divided into five groups: a control group; and four groups irradiated with 0.5, 1, 2, and 4Gy radiation, respectively. Mortality and teratogenesis were significantly increased, and spontaneous movement, heart rate, and swimming distance were decreased in the irradiated groups, accompanied by increased apoptosis. mRNA levels of genes involved in the apoptotic pathway, including p53, bax, bcl-2, and caspase-3, were significantly affected by radiation exposure. Moreover, protein expression levels of P53 and Bcl-2 changed in accordance with the corresponding mRNA expression levels. In addition, we detected the protein expression levels of γ-H2AX, which is a biomarker for radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks, and found that γ-H2AX protein levels were significantly increased in the irradiated groups. Overall, the results of this study improve our understanding of the mechanisms of iron ion radiation-induced developmental toxicity and apoptosis, potentially involving the induction of DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. The findings of this study may aid future impact assessment of environmental radioactivity in fish.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Hospital of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Jing'e
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Cuixia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Aihong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Qiuyue
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
authors.forename: Yupei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Basic Research on Heavy Ion Radiation Application in Medicine, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China; Gansu Wuwei Institute of Medical Sciences, Wuwei 733000, China. Electronic address: zhangh@impcas.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001681:Biological Assay; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000187:drug effects; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D007501:Iron / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D007501:Iron
keywords: (56)Fe ion radiation; Apoptosis; Developmental toxicity; Zebrafish embryos