Symptomatic and asymptomatic domoic acid exposure in zebrafish (Danio rerio) revealed distinct non-overlapping gene expression patterns in the brain.

Domoic acid (DA) is a naturally produced neurotoxin synthesized by marine diatoms in the genus Pseudo-nitzschia. DA accumulates in filter-feeders such as shellfish, and can cause severe neurotoxicity when contaminated seafood is ingested, resulting in Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP) in humans. Overt clinical signs of neurotoxicity include seizures and disorientation. ASP is a significant public health concern, and though seafood regulations have effectively minimized the human risk of severe acute DA poisoning, the effects of exposure at asymptomatic levels are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of exposure to symptomatic and asymptomatic doses of DA on gene expression patterns in the zebrafish brain. We exposed adult zebrafish to either a symptomatic (1.1 ± 0.2 μg DA/g fish) or an asymptomatic (0.31 ± 0.03 µg DA/g fish) dose of DA by intracelomic injection and sampled at 24, 48 and 168 h post-injection. Transcriptional profiling was done using Agilent and Affymetrix microarrays. Our analysis revealed distinct, non-overlapping changes in gene expression between the two doses. We found that the majority of transcriptional changes were observed at 24 h post-injection with both doses. Interestingly, asymptomatic exposure produced more persistent transcriptional effects - in response to symptomatic dose exposure, we observed only one differentially expressed gene one week after exposure, compared to 26 in the asymptomatic dose at the same time (FDR <0.05). GO term analysis revealed that symptomatic DA exposure affected genes associated with peptidyl proline modification and retinoic acid metabolism. Asymptomatic exposure caused differential expression of genes that were associated with GO terms including circadian rhythms and visual system, and also the neuroactive ligand-receptor signaling KEGG pathway. Overall, these results suggest that transcriptional responses are specific to the DA dose and that asymptomatic exposure can cause long-term changes. Further studies are needed to characterize the potential downstream neurobehavioral impacts of DA exposure.