Developmental timing of perchlorate exposure alters threespine stickleback dermal bone

Abstract

Adequate levels of thyroid hormone are critical during development and metamorphosis, and for maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Perchlorate, a common contaminant of water sources, inhibits thyroid function in vertebrates. We utilized threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) to determine if timing of perchlorate exposure during development impacts adult dermal skeletal phenotypes. Fish were exposed to water contaminated with perchlorate (30 mg/L or 100 mg/L) beginning at 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, 42, 154 or 305 days post fertilization until sexual maturity at one year of age. A reciprocal treatment moved stickleback from contaminated to clean water on the same schedule providing for different stages of initial exposure and different treatment durations. Perchlorate exposure caused concentration-dependent significant differences in growth for some bony traits. Continuous exposure initiated within the first 21 days post fertilization had the greatest effects on skeletal traits. Exposure to perchlorate at this early stage can result in small traits or abnormal skeletal morphology of adult fish which could affect predator avoidance and survival.

Introduction to Special Issue: Disruption of thyroid, sex steroid, and adrenal hormone systems and their crosstalk in aquatic wildlife

“…In this issue, Furin et al (2015a) extend on this work by reporting that perchlorate has greater and much longer-lasting effects on thyroid and gonadal condition of G. aculeatus when exposures occur early during development. In a companion paper, Furin et al (2015b) report similar findings concerning impacts of perchlorate on bone development of Threespine Stickleback. Consistent with the conclusions of Furin et al (2015a), Gardell et al (2015) found that whole-body concentrations of thyroid hormone and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) in wild-caught adult stickleback were unaffected by perchlorate exposures of up-to-43 d in duration.…”

Developmental timing of sodium perchlorate exposure alters angiogenesis, thyroid follicle proliferation and sexual maturation in stickleback

“…Studies utilizing zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) (Mukhi et al, 2005; Patiño and Mukhi, 2007; Patiño et al, 2007; Patiño et al, 2003; Schmidt et al, 2012), eastern mosquitofish ( Gambusia holbrooki ) (Bradford et al, 2005; Park et al, 2006a), threespine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ; hereafter, stickleback) (Bernhardt and von Hippel, 2008; Bernhardt et al, 2006; Bernhardt et al, 2011; Furin et al, 2015; Petersen et al, 2015), fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas ) (Crane et al, 2005; Pickford et al, 2005), and short-finned molly ( Poecilia sphenops ) (Burcu et al, 2009) have all found detrimental effects on development and/or reproduction from perchlorate exposure. These detrimental effects include: reduced growth rates (Bernhardt et al, 2011; Crane et al, 2005; Liu et al, 2008; Mukhi and Patiño, 2007; Mukhi et al, 2007a; Park et al, 2006b; Schmidt et al, 2012), skeletal abnormalities (Bernhardt et al, 2011; Furin et al, 2015), abnormal thyroid histomorphology (Bradford et al, 2005; Crane et al, 2005; Liu et al, 2006; Liu et al, 2008; Mukhi et al, 2005; Mukhi and Patiño, 2007; Patiño et al, 2003; Petersen et al, 2015; Schmidt et al, 2012), reduced reproductive output (Bernhardt and von Hippel, 2008; Bernhardt et al, 2006; Mukhi and Patiño, 2007; Patiño et al, 2003), skewed sex ratio (Mukhi et al, 2007a), and intersex gonads (Bernhardt et al, 2006). …”

Evolution and developmental expression of the sodium–iodide symporter (NIS, slc5a5) gene family: Implications for perchlorate toxicology

“…Studies on various mammals in both the wild and the laboratory found that perchlorate exposure affects litter size, increases stillborn frequency, and reduces ossification in offspring, although the magnitude of changes was usually small (Stoker et al, 2006;Thuett et al, 2002;York et al, 2001;York et al, 2003). Aquatic vertebrates that are chronically exposed to perchlorate have altered body size and shape (Bernhardt et al, 2011), increased angiogenesis and thyroid follicle proliferation (Furin, von Hippel, Cresko, et al, 2015b), disrupted immune function (Capps et al, 2004), liver pathology (Minicozzi et al, 2019), altered development of dermal bone (Furin, von Hippel, Postlethwait, et al, 2015a), and changed gonadal development and sex determination (Bernardt & von Hippel, 2008;Bernhardt et al, 2006;Petersen et al, 2015Petersen et al, , 2016Sharma & Patiño, 2013).…”