THE LONG-TERM MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF TRIBUTYLTIN ON ESTROGEN SIGNALING IN THE ZEBRAFISH RETINA

The development of the retina involves a delicate process that requires careful completion to prevent disruption in proper functioning. A vital component of this careful process involves the production of aromatase, an enzyme that is required for the synthesis of estrogen in gonads and the brain of teleost fish (Tong, Sok-Keng et al., 2009). Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) affect the inhibition or upregulation of hormones like estrogen, which can cause cell apoptosis (cell death), thinning of the retina and cornea, as well as delayed development that emphasizes the importance of estrogen during this process (Connaughton, 2018). Unfortunately, not much is known about the long-term implications of changing the estrogenic signaling involved in retinal development. This study for my thesis project hopes to address this implication regarding adult Zebra fish (Danio rerio) using the EDC, tributyltin (TBT), which is used as an anti-fouling agent on fishing boats that inhibits the synthesis of estrogen production. This study will expand on previous findings that BPA, an estrogen receptor agonist, causes long term effects in the zebra fish visual system when a similar methodology is used. Therefore, this study will provide evidence if brief exposure to other environmentally relevant estrogen-targeting EDCs also causes long term effects in visual system and will help to uncover estrogen signaling mechanisms in the retina by better understanding aromatase regulation, as aromatase inhibitors are used clinically as a breast cancer therapeutics.