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REPRODUCTIVE AND GENOMIC EFFECTS OF A DISINFECTION BYPRODUCT IN MICE
Impact/Purpose:
Develop genomic biomarkers for adverse reproductive effects of DBP exposures.
Description:
The development of water disinfection processes has been one of the major advances in safeguarding public health. However, there is evidence that disinfection byproducts, formed through reaction of the disinfectant with dissolved compounds in the water, can produce toxicological effects. One such byproduct, bromochloroacetate (BCA), has been shown to produce adverse reproductive effects in adult rats and rabbits. We are investigating the effects of BCA on adult male mice, and monitoring effects on the testis, spermatogenesis, fertility and gene expression. The primary goal of this project is to develop genomic biomarkers for adverse reproductive effects of DBP exposures. We chose to work with mice because there are greater genomic resources available for this species. BCA exposure causes subfertility in adult male mice, comparable to what has been reported for rats and rabbits. In order to identify potential modes of action for BCA toxicity, and develop possible molecular biomarkers, RNA from the testes of these same mice are being applied to DNA microarrays to create gene expression profiles.