Park_2012_Environ.Pollut_167_163

Larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed (96 h) to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) fluoxetine and sertraline and changes in transcriptomes analyzed by Affymetrix GeneChip Zebrafish Array were evaluated to enhance understanding of biochemical pathways and differences between these SSRIs. The number of genes differentially expressed after fluoxetine exposure was 288 at 25 mug/L and 131 at 250 mug/L; and after sertraline exposure was 33 at 25 mug/L and 52 at 250 mug/L. Same five genes were differentially regulated in both SSRIs indicating shared molecular pathways. Among these, the gene coding for FK506 binding protein 5, annotated to stress response regulation, was highly down-regulated in all treatments (results confirmed by qRT-PCR). Gene ontology analysis indicated at the gene expression level that regulation of stress response and cholinesterase activities were influenced by these SSRIs, and suggested that changes in transcription of these genes could be used as biomarkers of SSRI exposure.