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Development of DM Microarrays for Ecological Exposure Assessment

Ann Miracle and David Lattier, ORD/NERL/EERD

The Problem

¦	How do environmental stressors impact our
aquatic resources?

¦	Can we develop a tool to rapidly screen
environmental water samples for
contaminants?

Can we use fish to monitor
the environment?

A specific toxicant or pollutant will initiate a specific
reaction by influencing which genes are activated.

Why the Fathead Minnow?

I EPA use for over 30 years as a toxicity
model for aquatic exposure

I easy to culture and maintain

easy to sort sexes by visual inspection

hardy, found throughout the
continental US

Which genes can we use?

Gene microarrays represent hundreds to
ten thousands of genes

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Development of fathead minnow microarrays
will allow rapid screening of many pollutants

Each pollutant will generate a specific
pattern of activated genes

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Patterns will result in a diagnostic tool for
detection and monitoring in the environment

Utility of Microarrays
as a Screening Tool

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¦ Known chemicals will generate a
specific gene expression pattern
as indicated for chemical A and®

Comparison of an unknown environmental
sample with profiles of known chemicals
can be used to determine the effects of a
specific chemical WKlfoliWMffln = A

Impacts

¦ Integration of gene expression data for
aquatic exposures in computational
toxicology

m Better understanding of processes from
exposure to effect

Reduce uncertainties is assessing risk of
pollutants in the environment

Partnering	to -Protect	Human

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