BMAA and MCLR Interact to Modulate Behavior and Exacerbate Molecular Changes Related to Neurodegeneration in Larval Zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Exposure to toxins produced by cyanobacteria (ie, cyanotoxins) is an emerging health concern due to their increasing prevalence and previous associations with neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the neurotoxic effects of a mixture of two co-occurring cyanotoxins, β-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) and microcystin leucine and arginine (MCLR), using the larval zebrafish model. We combined high-throughput behavior-based toxicity assays with discovery proteomic techniques to identify behavioral and molecular changes following 6 days of exposure. Although neither toxin caused mortality, morphological defects, nor altered general locomotor behavior in zebrafish larvae, both toxins increased acoustic startle sensitivity in a

SUBMITTER: Martin RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8502428 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature