Author/Editor		Frangež, R; Žužek, MC; Mrkun, J; Šuput, D; Sedmak, B; Kosec, M
Title		Microcystin-LR affects cytoskeleton and morphology of rabbit primary whole embryo cultured cells in vitro
Type		članek
Source		Toxicon
Vol. and No.		Letnik 41
Publication year		2003
Volume		str. 999-1005
Language		eng
Abstract		Microcystin-LR is the most frequently studied cyclic heptapeptide produced by different genera of cyanobacteria and is hepatotoxic to livestock and human populations. The adverse effects of microcystin-LR on morphology and cytoskeletal elements in different stages of early embryonal development have been studied in vitro. Embryos and whole embryo cultures have been exposed to microcystin-LR (10-100 micro M). Actin filaments were visualized by fluorescence staining and the microtubular network labelled by immunostaining. Growth, development and cytoskeleton organization of the embryos embedded in zona pellucida are not affected by microcystin-LR in concentrations up to 100 micro M, while whole embryo cell cultures are affected by the presence of microcystin-LR in the culture medium. High microcystin-LR concentrations (100 micro M) cause cells to be detached and destroyed, while lower concentrations (10-20 micro M) profoundly affect actin and microtubule organization. These effects are confirmed also by the presence of transformed microcystin-LR in all the media at the lowest concentrations. It seems that the changes to the cells are far more serious than that expressed in cell morphology. From our experiments we conclude that the presence of zona pellucida is an effective way of embryo protection against xenobiotics like microcystin-LR.
Descriptors		EMBRYO BACTERIAL TOXINS CYANOBACTERIA MICROFILAMENTS RABBITS CELLS, CULTURED ZONA PELLUCIDA MICROSCOPY, CONFOCAL