Mercury is a global contaminant, which may be microbially transformed into methylmercury (MeHg), which bioaccumulates. This results in potentially toxic body burdens in high trophic level organisms in aquatic ecosystems and maternal transfer to offspring. We previously demonstrated effects on developing fish including hyperactivity, altered time-to-hatch, reduced survival, and dysregulation of the dopaminergic system. A link between gut microbiota and central nervous system function in teleosts has been established with implications for behavior. We sequenced gut microbiomes of fathead minnows exposed to dietary MeHg to determine microbiome effects. Dietary exposures were repeated with adult CD-1 mice. Metabolomics was used to screen for metabolome changes in mouse brain and larval fish, and results indicate effects on lipid metabolism and neurotransmission, supported by microbiome data. Findings suggest environmentally relevant exposure scenarios may cause xenobiotic-mediated dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, contributing to neurotoxicity. Furthermore, small-bodied teleosts may be a useful model species for studying certain types of neurodegenerative diseases, in lieu of higher vertebrates.

中文翻译：

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暴露于膳食甲基汞后，Pimephales promelas 和 Mus musculus 肠道微生物组和代谢组的变化

汞是一种全球性污染物，它可能通过微生物转化为甲基汞 (MeHg)，并具有生物累积性。这导致水生生态系统中高营养级生物体的潜在毒性负担以及母体转移给后代。我们之前展示了对发育中的鱼类的影响，包括多动症、改变孵化时间、降低存活率和多巴胺能系统失调。已经确定了硬骨鱼肠道微生物群和中枢神经系统功能之间的联系，这对行为有影响。我们对暴露于膳食甲基汞的黑头鲦鱼的肠道微生物组进行测序，以确定微生物组的影响。用成年 CD-1 小鼠重复饮食暴露。代谢组学用于筛选小鼠大脑和幼鱼的代谢组变化，结果表明对脂质代谢和神经传递的影响，得到微生物组数据的支持。研究结果表明，与环境相关的暴露情景可能会导致外源性介导的肠道微生物群失调，从而导致神经毒性。此外，小型硬骨鱼可能是研究某些类型的神经退行性疾病的有用模型物种，以代替高等脊椎动物。