Effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) on the development of zebrafish embryos

Exposure to 17β-estradiol (E2) has been shown to influence the regulation of multiple signaling pathways during development. Disruption of signaling events during early development can lead to malformations such cardiac defects. In this study we looked the expression of two genes involved in cardiac development, hand2 and lrrc10 as well as the expression of gper and cardiac development at various stages of development in zebrafish. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to concentrations of E2 (0.1μM, 2μM, 5μM, 7μM and 8μM) at 2 hours post fertilization (hpf) with subsequent measurements of lrrc10, hand2 and gper transcripts at 12hpf, 28hpf and 76hpf. Concentration dependent alteration in the expression of lrrc10, hand2 and gper was observed at 12hpf and 76hpf, but not at 28hpf. Expression of these genes were also altered after exposure to the GPER agonist G1. Expression was correlated with the formation of cardiac edema as well as other developmental abnormalities indicating a role of GPER in cardiac development.