Environmental epigenetics in zebrafish

Abstract

It is widely accepted that the epigenome can act as the link between environmental cues, both external and internal, to the organism and phenotype by converting the environmental stimuli to phenotypic responses through changes in gene transcription outcomes. Environmental stress endured by individual organisms can also enforce epigenetic variations in offspring that had never experienced it directly, which is termed transgenerational inheritance. To date, research in the environmental epigenetics discipline has used a wide range of both model and non-model organisms to elucidate the various epigenetic mechanisms underlying the adaptive response to environmental stimuli. In this review, we discuss the advantages of the zebrafish model for studying how environmental toxicant exposures affect the regulation of epigenetic processes, especially DNA methylation, which is the best-studied epigenetic mechanism. We include several very recent studies describing the state-of-the-art knowledge on this topic in zebrafish, together with key concepts in the function of DNA methylation during vertebrate embryogenesis.

Zebrafish models for personalized psychiatry: Insights from individual, strain and sex differences, and modeling gene x environment interactions

“…Since adaptive responses to external stimuli can control gene expression epigenetically (e.g., through DNA methylation and histone modifications), the role of epigenetic regulation of the observed neural phenotypes becomes important (Bird, ; Boettiger et al, ; Cavalieri & Spinelli, ; Cortessis et al, ; Cui et al, ; Garfield et al, ; Jaenisch & Bird, ; Kouzarides, ; Mercer & Mattick, ; Szyf, ; Talbert & Henikoff, ). DNA methylation is generally conserved between zebrafish and mammals (Feng et al, ; Goll & Halpern, ; Varriale & Bernardi, ; Zemach, McDaniel, Silva, & Zilberman, ), providing a useful tool to explore methylome dynamics in response to environmental stimuli (Cavalieri & Spinelli, ). As a relatively new model to study environmental epigenetics, the role of epigenetic mechanisms in zebrafish CNS responses remains unclear, although some interesting data begin to emerge (see (Lakstygal, de Abreu & Kalueff, ) for a recent review).…”

Prospects for incorporation of epigenetic biomarkers in human health and environmental risk assessment of chemicals

“…Another valuable vertebrate model organism is the zebrafish, Danio rerio . This species is commonly used in both the (eco)toxicological and biomedical fields, and could contribute to understanding how environmentally induced epigenetic marks/patterns occurring in different developmental stages influence later life sensitivity to stressors (Dai et al ., ; Laing et al ., ; Cavalieri & Spinelli, ; Szabo et al ., ).…”

Netting the Stress Responses in Fish

“…Epigenetic analyses have been used to test the effects of captive rearing in salmons, suggesting that hatchery-induced epigenetic changes impair the osmoregulatory seawater acclimation and swimming performance during smoltification (101). In zebrafish ( Danio rerio ), xenobiotic exposure modified methylation patterns during embryogenesis (102). Diversification of cortisol-responder phenotypes in stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) offspring of stressed mothers has been ascribed also to epigenetic changes (103) signaled by glucocorticoid receptors.…”