Retene causes multifunctional transcriptomic changes in the heart of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) embryos

Fish are particularly sensitive to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated developmental toxicity. The molecular mechanisms behind these adverse effects have remained largely unresolved in salmonids, and for AhR-agonistic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study explored the cardiac transcriptome of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eleuteroembryos exposed to retene, an AhR-agonistic PAH. The embryos were exposed to retene (nominal concentration 32 μg/L) and control, their hearts were collected before, at and after the onset of the visible signs of developmental toxicity, and transcriptomic changes were studied by microarray analysis. Retene up- or down-regulated 122 genes. Th…