Interactions between genes altered during cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity in zebrafish revealed using induced network modules analysis

Abstract

Zebrafish has become a prominent model organism to study toxicology due to its genomic similarity to humans, optical clarity, well defined developmental stages, short generation time and cost-effective maintenance. It also provides a shorter time frame for in vivo toxicology evaluation compared to mammalian experimental systems. As manufacturing processes and development of new synthetic compounds increase to keep pace with the expanding global demand, environmental health and the effects of toxicant exposure are emerging as critical public health concerns. Owing to this, in this study, we analyzed the impact of such chemical induced toxicity in zebrafish. We first searched the literature comprehensively for genes that were modulated during neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity in zebrafish and then studied the interactions between those genes using induced network modules analysis of the database ConsensusPathDB. The induced network modules analysis helps to study gene interactions through various types of interactions like gene regulatory, biochemical, genetic and protein interactions. A constant communication between the heart and the brain is an important physiological phenomenon. Therefore, we also analyzed the interactions among genes that are modulated simultaneously during cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity. This study has led us to identify some potential predictive biomarkers for neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity in zebrafish.