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The Xenopus tropicalis Model for Studies of Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity

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Developmental Toxicology

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1965))

Abstract

The reproductive cycle encompasses processes such as sex organ differentiation and development in the early life stages and maturation of the gametes in the adult organism. During the early life stages, critical developmental programming of the endocrine and reproductive systems occurs, and exposure to chemicals during these critical developmental windows can result in impaired reproductive function later in life. It is therefore important to evaluate long-term consequences of early life stage exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The African clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis has several characteristics that facilitate studies of developmental and reproductive toxicity. Here I present a X. tropicalis life cycle test protocol including study design, exposure regimes, and endpoints for chemical disruption of sex differentiation, gonadal and Müllerian duct development, the thyroxin-regulated metamorphosis, estrogen synthesis (activity of the CYP19 aromatase enzyme), spermatogenesis, oogenesis, puberty and fertility.

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to all people that have been involved in the development of the amphibian test system for developmental and reproductive toxicity, especially the PhD students Irina Gyllenhammar, Moa Säfholm and Erika Jansson, the postdocs, the master students, research assistants, and professor Ingvar Brandt and the Department of Environmental Toxicology, Uppsala University, Sweden. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council Formas, the Carl Trygger Foundation and MistraPharma, a research programme supported by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Toxicology, The Center for Reproductive Biology in Uppsala (CRU), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Cecilia Berg

Authors
  1. Cecilia Berg
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Correspondence to Cecilia Berg .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Jason M. Hansen

  2. Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Louise M. Winn

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Berg, C. (2019). The Xenopus tropicalis Model for Studies of Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity. In: Hansen, J., Winn, L. (eds) Developmental Toxicology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1965. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9182-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9182-2_12

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9181-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9182-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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