Hydroxyurea was used as a model teratogen to investigate the role of oxidative stress and stress-response pathways in mediating developmental toxicity. When administered to pregnant mice during early organogenesis, hydroxyurea induced fetal death and growth retardation, as well as external and skeletal malformations. The malformed fetuses displayed hindlimb, vertebral column, and tail defects. Hydroxyurea treatment enhanced the production of 4-hydroxynonenal, a lipid peroxidation end product, in malformation sensitive regions of the embryo. Depletion of glutathione, a major cellular antioxidant, specifically enhanced hydroxyurea-induced malformations and elevated the region-specific production of 4--hydroxynonenal protein adducts in the embryo, without affecting the incidence or extent of hydroxyurea-induced fetal death or growth retardation. The major proteins modified by 4-hydroxynonenal were involved in energy metabolism. Thus, oxidative stress is important in the induction of malformations by hydroxyurea. / Exposure to hydroxyurea stimulated the DNA binding activity of activator protein 1 (AP-1), an early response redox-sensitive transcription factor. Activated AP-1 was composed mainly of c-Fos heterodimers. Glutathione depletion did not change the effects of hydroxyurea on AP-1/c-Fos DNA binding activities despite an augmentation of the incidence of embryo malformations. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activate AP-1 in response to stress by post-transcriptional phosphorylation of AP-1 proteins. Hydroxyurea treatment dramatically enhanced the activation of stress-responsive p38 MAPKs and JNKs (c-Jun N-terminal protein kinases). Selectively blocking p38 MAPKs enhanced the incidence of fetal death, whereas selective inhibition of JNKs specifically elevated the limb defects induced by hydroxyurea. Thus, activation of stress-response pathways impacts on the response of the embryo to a teratogenic insult.

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5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analogue, is genotoxic and teratogenic. The exposure of mouse embryos to BrdU at doses that cause malformations induces oxidative stress and an embryonic stress response characterized by an increase in c-Fos dependent AP-1 DNA binding. The goal of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that development is disturbed at sites where BrdU is incorporated into DNA, triggering oxidative stress and c-Fos induction. Gestation day 9 CD-1 mice were treated with BrdU and embryos were obtained for immunolocalization of BrdU, 8-oxoguanine, a biomarker for oxidative stress, and c-Fos. BrdU incorporation into DNA was dispersed throughout the embryo. In contrast, the staining for 8-oxoguanine and c-Fos were highest in the neuroepithelium. BrdU incorporation was not affected by the pre-administration of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an anti-oxidant, although both 8-oxoguanine and c-Fos staining were decreased. Thus, the response of the embryo to insult is tissue specific.

No description available.