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A computational model linking oocyte growth and spawning to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
Citation:
Watanabe, K., M. Mayo, E. Perkins, D. Villeneuve, AND G. Ankley. A computational model linking oocyte growth and spawning to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Presented at Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, November 11 - 15, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
Reproduction is vital to the survival of all living organisms, and reproductive toxicity is an important outcome in determining the ecological risks of chemicals in the environment. To evaluate reproductive toxicity, fathead minnow fecundity, as measured by the average number of eggs spawned, is used as an endpoint. In order to predict the effect of impaired reproduction upon a population, population dynamic models use fecundity as an input. However, when experimental data are not available, there are only a few computational models that will predict fecundity. These models use plasma vitellogenin, a precursor to an egg yolk protein, as the basis for predicting fecundity, though a more detailed understanding of oocyte growth and development exists. Furthermore, in the paradigm of predictive ecotoxicology, large amounts of data will be obtained from in vitro studies, and computational models will be used to extrapolate between different levels of biological organization, e.g., from an individual to a population. Thus, there is a need to improve existing models of oocyte growth and spawning in order to utilize a wider variety of data. Toward this end, this presentation will describe the development of a Matlab®-based oocyte growth dynamics model linked to an HPG axis model for fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). It extends a previously developed model for oocyte growth dynamics and links to a model of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis through plasma vitellogenin and selected steroid hormones.