An automated computational data pipeline to rapidly acquire, score, and rank toxicological data for ecological hazard assessment.

Biological Evaluations support Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service by federal action agencies, such as the USEPA, regarding impacts of federal activities on threatened or endangered species. However, they are often time-consuming and challenging to conduct. The identification of pollutant benchmarks or guidance to protect taxa for states and tribes when USEPA has not yet developed criteria recommendations is also of importance to ensure a streamlined approach to Clean Water Act program implementation.

Comparing Transcriptomic Points of Departure to Apical Effect Concentrations For Larval Fathead Minnow Exposed to Chemicals with Four Different Modes Of Action.

It is postulated that below a transcriptomic-based point of departure, adverse effects are unlikely to occur, thereby providing a chemical concentration to use in screening level hazard assessment. The present study extends previous work describing a high-throughput fathead minnow assay that can provide full transcriptomic data after exposure to a test chemical. One-day post-hatch fathead minnows were exposed to ten concentrations of three representatives of four chemical modes of action: organophosphates, ecdysone receptor agonists, plant photosystem II inhibitors, and estrogen receptor agonists for 24 h.

Transcriptomics-Based Points of Departure for Daphnia magna Exposed to 18 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a large group of contaminants of concern based on their widespread use, environmental persistence, and potential toxicity. Many traditional models for estimating toxicity, bioaccumulation, and other toxicological properties are not well suited for PFAS. Consequently, there is a need to generate hazard information for PFAS in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Derivation of Transcriptomics-Based Points of Departure for 20 Per- or Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Using a Larval Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) Reduced Transcriptome Assay.

Traditional toxicity testing has been unable to keep pace with the introduction of new chemicals into commerce. Consequently, there are limited or no toxicity data for many chemicals to which fish and wildlife may be exposed. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emblematic of this issue in that ecological hazards of most PFAS remain uncharacterized.

Short-Term Transcriptomic Points of Departure Are Consistent with Chronic Points of Departure for Three Organophosphate Pesticides across Mouse and Fathead Minnow.

New approach methods (NAMs) can reduce the need for chronic animal studies. Here, we apply benchmark dose (concentration) (BMD(C))-response modeling to transcriptomic changes in the liver of mice and in fathead minnow larvae after short-term exposures (7 days and 1 day, respectively) to several dose/concentrations of three organophosphate pesticides (OPPs): fenthion, methidathion, and parathion. The mouse liver transcriptional points of departure (TPODs) for fenthion, methidathion, and parathion were 0.

Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation.

The US Environmental Protection Agency Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) tool is a fast, freely available, online screening application that allows researchers and regulators to extrapolate toxicity information across species. For biological targets in model systems such as human cells, mice, rats, and zebrafish, toxicity data are available for a variety of chemicals. Through the evaluation of protein target conservation, this tool can be used to extrapolate data generated from such model systems to thousands of other species lacking toxicity data, yielding predictions of relative intrinsic chemical susceptibility.

Pilot testing and optimization of a larval fathead minnow high throughput transcriptomics assay.

Concentrations at which global gene expression profiles in cells or animals exposed to a test substance start to differ significantly from those of controls have been proposed as an alternative point of departure for use in screening level hazard assessment. The present study describes pilot testing of a high throughput compatible transcriptomics assay with larval fathead minnows. One day post hatch fathead minnows were exposed to eleven different concentrations of three metals, three selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and four neonicotinoid-like compounds for 24 h and concentration response modeling was applied to whole body gene expression data.