Effects on the teleost kidney following early life-stages exposure to Deepwater Horizon crude oil

While there is some evidence that exposure to individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) impairs development of the early stage kidney (i.e. pronephros), little is known regarding the effects on the pronephros following exposure to complex crude oil mixtures at environmentally relevant concentrations. Transcriptional changes in genes with various structural, functional and signaling roles specific to different regions of the developing pronephros were assessed by QPCR and whole mount in situ hybridizations, in zebrafish. Morphological changes in the pronephros were determined by immunohistochemistry using an antibody raised against Na/K ATPase (NKA) in zebrafish. Additionally, latent effects of ELS crude oil exposure on kidney function and overall osmoregulation were assessed by subjecting red drum to an acute salinity transfer challenge. And, edema size was assessed in zebrafish after an acute salinity stress.