Assessment of chemically-induced alterations in brain development using assays of neuron- and glia-localized proteins

Chemical-induced injury of the developing central nervous system (CNS) is often manifested by alterations in the cellular ontogeny of specific neuroanatomical regions. Within the affected area, critical developmental processes encompassing a variety of neuronal and glial cell types may be transiently or permanently altered. Because the cellular heterogeneity of the developing CNS is expressed by unique neuronal and glial proteins, we proposed that radioimmunoassays of these proteins can be used to define normal and chemically- altered patterns of CNS development. We are testing this hypothesis by administering prototype neurotoxicants to the developing rat and then assessing the effects of these agents on previously characterized neuronal and glial proteins. Using this approach, we have characterized several features associated with perinatal chemical exposure: (1) region-dependent patterns of altered brain development are revealed by changes in the amounts of specific neuronal and glial proteins; (2) chemical-induced changes in neuronal and glial proteins depend on the time of exposure and nature of the insult; and (3) significant changes in neuron- and glial-localized proteins can be observed in the absence of cytopathology or decreases in brain weight. Data obtained from studies of toxicant-induced injury of the CNS will be presented as models for the use of neuron- and glial-localized proteins as biochemical indicators of altered brain development.