Honors Thesis Archive
| Author | Carrie Schmaus |
|---|---|
| Title | Effects of Atrazine Exposure on Aromatase Expression in Male Zebrafish (danio rerio) |
| Department | Biology & Environmental Science |
| Advisor | Dr. Michelle McWhorter, Dr. Ruth Hoff, Dr. Amber Burgett |
| Year | 2015 |
| Honors | University Honors |
| Full Text | View Thesis (388 KB) |
| Abstract | Atrazine, the second most utilized herbicide in the United States, has been shown to disrupt endocrine systems in a variety of organisms. Studies have shown atrazine to cause male frogs to become hermaphrodites, as well as inflict chromosomal damage to the ovary cells of hamsters and induce false pregnancies in rats. However, other studies have refuted these results, showing that legal limits of atrazine have negligible effects on exposed organisms. The topic of atrazine use has recently become controversial, especially as the product benefits the U.S. agricultural market by billions of dollars every year. Most studies performed on the effects of atrazine exposure have been conducted on frogs, so these results are well documented. However, zebrafish, a vertebrate model organism, has been less studied. By exposing male zebrafish to an environmentally relevant concentration of atrazine, this study aimed to elucidate the effects of atrazine on the expression of aromatase. Aromatase is the enzyme responsible for both sex determination and conversion of testosterone to estrogen in zebrafish, though the mechanism by which it is synthesized is poorly understood. Results showed that atrazine exposed organisms did not exhibit aromatase expression, though non-exposed organisms did. These results may be due to experimental errors, issues with the experimental design (in that the atrazine concentration used and/or the exposure period were not sufficient), or the possibility that atrazine does not influence the expression of aromatase, but instead, affects the activity of the enzyme. Further research is recommended to elucidate the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of atrazine on male zebrafish. |
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