SKN-1/Nrf2 inhibits dopamine neuron degeneration in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of methylmercury toxicity.

ABSTRACT: Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure from occupational, environmental, and food sources is a significant threat to public health. MeHg poisonings in adults may result in severe psychological and neurological deficits, and in utero exposures can confer embryonic defects and developmental delays. Recent epidemiological and vertebrate studies suggest that MeHg exposure may also contribute to dopamine (DA) neuron vulnerability and the propensity to develop Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we describe a Caenorhabditis elegans model of MeHg toxicity that shows that low, chronic exposure confers embryonic defects, developmental delays, decreases in brood size and animal viability, and DA neuron degeneration. Toxicant exposure results in the robust induction of the glutathione-S-transferases (GST

SUBMITTER: Vanduyn N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3003544 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature