Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Macondo Crude Oil From The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disrupts Specific Developmental Processes During Zebrafish Embryogenesis, T Yvanka De Soysa, Allison Ulrich, Timo Friedrich, Danielle Pite, Shannon L. Compton, Deborah Ok, Rebecca L. Bernardos, Gerald B. Downes, Shizuka Hsieh, Rachael Stein, M Caterina Lagdameo, Katherine Halvorsen, Lydia-Rose Kesich, Michael Jf Barresi May 2012

Macondo Crude Oil From The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disrupts Specific Developmental Processes During Zebrafish Embryogenesis, T Yvanka De Soysa, Allison Ulrich, Timo Friedrich, Danielle Pite, Shannon L. Compton, Deborah Ok, Rebecca L. Bernardos, Gerald B. Downes, Shizuka Hsieh, Rachael Stein, M Caterina Lagdameo, Katherine Halvorsen, Lydia-Rose Kesich, Michael Jf Barresi

Gerald B. Downes

Background: The Deepwater Horizon disaster was the largest marine oil spill in history, and total vertical exposure of oil to the water column suggests it could impact an enormous diversity of ecosystems. The most vulnerable organisms are those encountering these pollutants during their early life stages. Water-soluble components of crude oil and specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been shown to cause defects in cardiovascular and craniofacial development in a variety of teleost species, but the developmental origins of these defects have yet to be determined. We have adopted zebrafish, Danio rerio, as a model to test whether water accumulated fractions …


Mutation Of Zebrafish Dihydrolipoamide Branched-Chain Transacylase E2 Results In Motor Dysfunction And Models Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Timo Friedrich, Aaron M. Lambert, Mark A. Masino, Gerald B. Downes Mar 2012

Mutation Of Zebrafish Dihydrolipoamide Branched-Chain Transacylase E2 Results In Motor Dysfunction And Models Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Timo Friedrich, Aaron M. Lambert, Mark A. Masino, Gerald B. Downes

Gerald B. Downes

Analysis of zebrafish mutants that demonstrate abnormal locomotive behavior can elucidate the molecular requirements for neural network function and provide new models of human disease. Here, we show that zebrafish quetschkommode (que) mutant larvae exhibit a progressive locomotor defect that culminates in unusual nose-to-tail compressions and an inability to swim. Correspondingly, extracellular peripheral nerve recordings show that que mutants demonstrate abnormal locomotor output to the axial muscles used for swimming. Using positional cloning and candidate gene analysis, we reveal that a point mutation disrupts the gene encoding dihydrolipoamide branched-chain transacylase E2 (Dbt), a component of a mitochondrial enzyme complex, to …