Alizarin Red (AZ) is an anthraquinone dye that is commonly used in histological studies and textiles. Exposure to AZ results in morphological perturbations in several species, including rats, frogs, and dogs; however, the mechanisms by which AZ has these effects is largely unexplored, and little is known about its effect on development. We have previously shown that AZ is teratogenic to sea urchin larvae, and that AZ was the only calcium-binding mineralization marker among five tested that perturbed skeletal patterning. Here, we characterize these defects further and demonstrate that embryos exposed to AZ have abnormal skeletal element rotation, branching, and bending. Immunostains and polychrome labeling revealdelayed migration of primary mesenchyme cells and initiation of biomineralization. Although gross ectodermal dorsal-ventral specification, ciliary band restriction, and neuronal specification occur normally in most AZ-treated embryos, we find abnormal patterning and connectivity of the serotonergic neurons. Temporal transcriptomics comparisons confirm delayed development and implicate changes neuron-related GO terms with AZ treatment. Particle velocity imaging experiments show that ciliary beating normally directs fluid flow into the larval mouth, while AZ treatment perturbs the normal pattern of vortices and redirects flow away from the mouth. Finally, we show that the effects of AZ on skeletal patterning are largely due to the inhibition of catalase and subsequent elevation of reactive oxygen species. Specifically, catalase knockdown and transient hydrogen peroxide treatment are each sufficient to phenocopy the hallmark AZ skeletal patterning defects. This study is the first to define the consequences of AZ and its effects on neuronal function and catalase activity, with consequent impacts on development, skeletal patterning, and biomineralization.
Overall design: Control and alizarin-treated sea urchin embryos at 12, 18, 24 and 30 hpf
Less...