Abstract
Purpose In the chick embryo, the administration of cadmium (Cd) induces ventral body wall defects (VBWDs) similar to the human omphalocele. Transforming growth factors β (TGFs- β) are involved in many developmental processes, including ventral body wall formation. The Tgf β2 −/− Tgf β3 −/− double knockout mice and Tgf β2 −/− Tgf β3 +/− mutants show VBWD, whereas Tgf β2 +/− Tgf β3 −/− mutants display normal ventral body wall fusion. We designed this study to investigate the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of TGF- β2 and TGF- β3 in the Cd-induced omphalocele chick model during early embryogenesis. Methods Chick embryos were exposed to either Cd or saline, harvested 1 hour (1H), 4H, and 8H after treatment and then divided into 2 groups: control and Cd (n = 8 at each time-point, respectively). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the mRNA levels of TGF- β2 and TGF- β3 and statistically analyzed. Results The mRNA expression levels of TGF- β2 at 1H were significantly decreased in the Cd group compared to controls ( P < .05). However, the levels of TGF- β3 were not altered at all the time-points studied. Conclusion We provide evidence, for the first time, that TGF- β2 gene expression is downregulated during a narrow window of early embryogenesis in the Cd chick model. Our data show that TGF- β2 is the key gene involved in the formation of ventral body wall.
Published Version
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