PUBLICATION
Localizing organomercury uptake and accumulation in zebrafish larvae at the tissue and cellular level
- Authors
- Korbas, M., Blechinger, S.R., Krone, P.H., Pickering, I.J., and George, G.N.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-080826-44
- Date
- 2008
- Source
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 105(34): 12108-12112 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Krone, Patrick H.
- Keywords
- methylmercury, thimerosal, x-ray fluorescence mapping, eye lens
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Biological Transport
- Brain/metabolism
- Ethylmercury Compounds
- Larva/metabolism*
- Lens, Crystalline/metabolism
- Methylmercury Compounds
- Optic Nerve/metabolism
- Organomercury Compounds/analysis
- Organomercury Compounds/metabolism
- Organomercury Compounds/pharmacokinetics*
- Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
- Tissue Distribution
- Water Pollutants, Chemical/pharmacokinetics
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 18719123 Full text @ Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Citation
Korbas, M., Blechinger, S.R., Krone, P.H., Pickering, I.J., and George, G.N. (2008) Localizing organomercury uptake and accumulation in zebrafish larvae at the tissue and cellular level. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 105(34):12108-12112.
Abstract
Using synchrotron x-ray fluorescence mapping, we have examined the uptake and localization of organic mercury in zebrafish larvae. Strikingly, the greatest accumulation of methyl and ethyl mercury compounds was highly localized in the rapidly dividing lens epithelium, with lower levels going to brain, optic nerve, and various other organs. The data suggest that the reported impairment of visual processes by mercury may arise not only from previously reported neurological effects, but also from direct effects on the ocular tissue. This novel approach is a powerful tool for directly investigating the molecular toxicology of heavy metals, and should be equally applicable to the study of a wide range of elements in developing embryos.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping