() Evaluation of pendrin expression in the offspring of ammonium perchlorate dosed deer mice.
Ramachandran, B1, Gentles, A1, Anbumani, D1, Smith, E1, 1 The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
ABSTRACT- The objective of this study was to determine the effect of perchlorate on the expression of pendrin in deer mice. Deer mice pups were exposed gestationally and lactationally to ammonium perchlorate at 3 concentrations: 0 ppm, 58.5 ppm, and 117 ppm. The pups were euthanized at postnatal day 21 and the tissues were quickly removed and placed in dry ice. They were then processed to isolate total RNA, which was used in reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to generate the cDNA for pendrin. A partial deer mouse specific cDNA sequence was obtained. The cDNA was used to generate deer mouse specific probe and a set of reverse and forward primers that were utilized in real time PCR to quantitate the relative pendrin gene expression in the tissues of treated and control animals. The results show that AP at concentrations of 117 ppm and 58.5 ppm, significantly (P < 0.05) reduced pendrin gene expression in the kidney of the deer mouse. This represents the first identification of pendrin in the deer mouse and indicates that perchlorate and or the secondary effects of perchlorate on the thyroid hormone axis may have significant effects on other organ systems at the molecular level.
Key words: perchlorate, pendrin, deer mouse