Disturbance of gut microbiota aggravates cadmium-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish larvae through V-ATPase

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 891; p. 164074
• Main Authors: Xu, Yongjie, Yu, Yongpeng, Zhou, Qin, Xiang, Yang, Chen, Lixuan, Meng, Yaxian, She, Xudong, Zou, Fei, Meng, Xiaojing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.09.2023
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphatases - pharmacology; Animals; Cadmium; Cadmium - metabolism; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Germ-free; Gut microbiota; Larva; Neurotoxicity; V-ATPase; Zebrafish - metabolism; Gut microbiota; Cadmium; Neurotoxicity; Germ-free; V-ATPase
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164074

Cadmium (Cd) is a harmful environmental pollutant that causes damage to the nervous system, and exposure to Cd also disrupts the gut microbiota. However, it is still unclear whether Cd-induced neurotoxicity is related to alteration of the microbiota. In this study, we first established a germ-free (GF) zebrafish model to avoid the effects of gut microbiota disturbances caused by Cd exposure, and found that Cd-induced neurotoxic effects were weak in GF zebrafish. RNA sequencing showed that expression levels of V-ATPase family genes (atp6v1g1, atp6v1b2, and atp6v0cb) were significantly decreased in Cd-treated conventionally reared (CV) zebrafish, while this inhibition could be avoided in GF zebrafish. Overexpression of atp6v0cb in the V-ATPase family could partially rescue Cd-induced neurotoxicity. Our study shows that the disturbance of gut microbiota aggravates Cd-induced neurotoxicity, and that this may be associated with the expression of several genes in the V-ATPase family. [Display omitted] •Cd exposure caused changes in the gut microbiota of zebrafish.•Cd neurotoxicity was alleviated in GF zebrafish compared to CV zebrafish.•Several V-ATPase family genes were downregulated in the Cd-treated CV zebrafish.•Disturbed gut microbiota inhibited the expression levels of several V-ATPase family genes.•Overexpression of atp6v0cb alleviates Cd-induced neurotoxicity in zebrafish.