A rapid, physiologic protocol for testing transcriptional effects of thyroid-disrupting agents in premetamorphic Xenopus tadpoles.

ABSTRACT: Increasing numbers of substances present in the environment are postulated to have endocrine-disrupting effects on vertebrate populations. However, data on disruption of thyroid signaling are fragmentary, particularly at the molecular level. Thyroid hormone (TH; triiodothyronine, T3) acts principally by modulating transcription from target genes; thus, thyroid signaling is particularly amenable to analysis with a transcriptional assay. Also, T3 orchestrates amphibian metamorphosis, thereby providing an exceptional model for identifying thyroid-disrupting chemicals. We combined these two advantages to develop a method for following and quantifying the transcriptional action of T3 in Xenopus laevis tadpoles. This technology provides a means of assessing thyroid activity at the molecular leve

SUBMITTER: Turque N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1310923 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature