Detailed Record



Developmental pyrethroid exposure disrupts molecular pathways for MAP kinase and circadian rhythms in mouse brain


Abstract Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a category of pervasive disorders of the developing nervous system with few or no recognized biomarkers. A significant portion of the risk for NDDs, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is contributed by the environment, and exposure to pyrethroid pesticides during pregnancy has been identified as a potential risk factor for NDD in the unborn child. We recently showed that low-dose developmental exposure to the pyrethroid pesticide deltamethrin in mice causes male-biased changes to ADHD- and NDD-relevant behaviors as well as the striatal dopamine system. Here, we used an integrated multiomics approach to determine the broadest possible set of biological changes in the mouse brain caused by developmental pyrethroid exposure (DPE). Using a litter-based, split-sample design, we exposed mouse dams during pregnancy and lactation to deltamethrin (3 mg/kg or vehicle every 3 days) at a concentration well below the EPA-determined benchmark dose used for regulatory guidance. We raised male offspring to adulthood, euthanized them, and pulverized and divided whole brain samples for split-sample transcriptomics, kinomics and multiomics integration. Transcriptome analysis revealed alterations to multiple canonical clock genes, and kinome analysis revealed changes in the activity of multiple kinases involved in synaptic plasticity, including the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase ERK. Multiomics integration revealed a dysregulated protein-protein interaction network containing primary clusters for MAP kinase cascades, regulation of apoptosis, and synaptic function. These results demonstrate that DPE causes a multi-modal biophenotype in the brain relevant to ADHD and identifies new potential mechanisms of action.
Authors Jennifer Nguyen ORCID , Melissa A. Curtis , Ali Sajid Imami ORCID , William G. Ryan ORCID , Khaled Alganem ORCID , Kari L. Neifer ORCID , Nilanjana Saferin ORCID , Charlotte N. Nawor , Brian P. Kistler , Gary W. Miller ORCID , Rammohan Shukla University of WyomingORCID , Robert E. McCullumsmith ORCID , James P. Burkett ORCID
Journal Info American Physical Society | Physiological Genomics
Publication Date 3/13/2025
ISSN 1094-8341
TypeKeyword Image article
Open Access closed Closed Access
DOI https://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00033.2024
KeywordsKeyword Image Kinome (Score: 0.4868721)