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Updated: Aug 20, 2025
Micromanipulation of Gene Expression in the Adult Zebrafish Brain Using Cerebroventricular Microinjection of Morpholino Oligonucleotides
Published on: May 23, 2013
Exposure to Morphine and Cocaine Modify the Transcriptomic Landscape in Zebrafish Embryos
Andrés Angel Calderon-Garcia1, Maria Perez-Fernandez2, Daniel Curto-Aguilera3
1Dept. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León (INCYL), Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Spain.
Morphine and cocaine alter gene expression and DNA methylation in zebrafish embryos, impacting lipid metabolism, the visual system, and detoxification pathways. These findings reveal systemic effects of these drugs of abuse.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Genomics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Opioid analgesics like morphine and stimulants like cocaine are widely used but their systemic molecular effects are not fully understood.
- Previous studies focused on specific brain regions, neglecting whole-organism impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively analyze the transcriptomic and epigenetic changes induced by morphine and cocaine in zebrafish embryos.
- To investigate the systemic effects of these drugs of abuse at the molecular level.
Main Methods:
- Zebrafish embryos were treated with morphine (10 µM) and cocaine (15 µM) from 5 to 72 hours post-fertilization.
- RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was employed to assess global gene expression changes.
- Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) was used for experimental validation of deregulated genes.
- Global DNA methylation patterns were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significant changes were observed in the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, chemokine receptor ligands, the visual system, hemoglobins, and metabolic detoxification pathways.
- Both morphine and cocaine exposure led to modifications in the global DNA methylation patterns of zebrafish embryos.
- These epigenetic alterations correlate with the observed transcriptomic changes.
Conclusions:
- Morphine and cocaine induce widespread transcriptomic alterations in zebrafish embryos, affecting diverse biological pathways.
- Epigenetic modifications, specifically changes in DNA methylation, play a crucial role in mediating the systemic effects of these drugs.
- Zebrafish embryos serve as a valuable model for studying the complex molecular and systemic impacts of drugs of abuse.
