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In developmental toxicity testing, in vitro screening assays are highly needed to increase efficiency and to reduce animal use. A promising in vitro assay is the cardiac embryonic stem cell test (ESTc), in which the effect of developmental toxicants on cardiomyocyte differentiation is assessed. Recently, we developed a neural differentiation variant of the stem cell test (neural embryonic stem cell test [ESTn]). In both of these models, we have previously performed a series of transcriptomic studies to characterize gene expression changes (1) across time during normal differentiation and (2) in response to a series of developmental toxicants in the ESTn and ESTc. Here, using the cumulative of these studies, we compared gene expression profiles of ESTn and ESTc over time as well as model-specific changes induced by seven compounds, comprising six known in vivo developmental toxicants and one negative control. Time-related gene expression profiles showed similarities between the two EST systems. However, specific genes could be identified changing over time differently in each model related to the two different lineages of differentiation. Interestingly, compound-induced gene expression changes were generally model specific, especially for methylmercury and flusilazole, which were predicted better in ESTn and ESTc, respectively. Valproic acid–induced gene expression changes were most comparable out of the six developmental toxicants between the ESTn and ESTc. Direct transcriptomic comparisons between the ESTn and ESTc indicate that combined transcriptomic analyses support and complement each other. Therefore, a combined approach incorporating ESTc and ESTn may improve developmental toxicant detection over individual assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Alternative assays for developmental toxicity testing are needed to reduce animal use in regulatory toxicology. The in vitro murine neural embryonic stem cell test (ESTn) was designed as an alternative for neurodevelopmental toxicity testing. The integration of toxicogenomic-based approaches may further increase predictivity as well as provide insight into underlying mechanisms of developmental toxicity. In the present study, we investigated concentration-dependent effects of six mechanistically diverse compounds, acetaldehyde (ACE), carbamazepine (CBZ), flusilazole (FLU), monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), penicillin G (PENG) and phenytoin (PHE), on the transcriptome and neural differentiation in the ESTn. All compounds with the exception of PENG altered ESTn morphology (cytotoxicity and neural differentiation) in a concentration-dependent manner. Compound induced gene expression changes and corresponding enriched gene ontology biological processes (GO–BP) were identified after 24h exposure at equipotent differentiation-inhibiting concentrations of the compounds. Both compound-specific and common gene expression changes were observed between subsets of tested compounds, in terms of significance, magnitude of regulation and functionality. For example, ACE, CBZ and FLU induced robust changes in number of significantly altered genes (≥687 genes) as well as a variety of GO–BP, as compared to MEHP, PHE and PENG (≤55 genes with no significant changes in GO–BP observed). Genes associated with developmentally related processes (embryonic morphogenesis, neuron differentiation, and Wnt signaling) showed diverse regulation after exposure to ACE, CBZ and FLU. In addition, gene expression and GO–BP enrichment showed concentration dependence, allowing discrimination of non-toxic versus toxic concentrations on the basis of transcriptomics. This information may be used to define adaptive versus toxic responses at the transcriptome level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current globally harmonized Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) animal test guidelines for developmental toxicity require high numbers of experimental animals. To reduce animal use in this field, alternative developmental toxicity assays are highly desirable. We previously developed a dynamic in vitro model for screening effects of possible neurodevelopmental toxicants, using neural cell differentiation of pluripotent murine embryonic stem cells. To further mechanistically characterize the mouse neural embryonic stem cell test (ESTn) and to improve detection of possible neurodevelopmental toxicants, gene expression patterns were studied describing neural cell differentiation over time, as well as the impact on gene expression of exposure to the well-known neurotoxicant methylmercury (MeHg). A transcriptomics study was performed to examine whole-genome expression changes during the first 7 days of the cell differentiation protocol. Specific gene clusters were identified and enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) terms and gene sets derived from literature was performed using DAVID and T-profiler. Over time, a decrease of blastocyst and trophectoderm GO terms was observed, which included well-characterized pluripotency genes. Furthermore, an increase in the range of neural development–related GO terms, such as neuron differentiation and the wnt pathway, was observed. Analysis of gene expression using principle component analysis showed a time-dependent track in untreated cells, describing the process of neural differentiation. Furthermore, MeHg was shown to induce deviation from the predefined differentiation track. The compound inhibited general development GO terms and induced neural GO terms over time. This system appears promising for studying compound effects on neural differentiation in a mechanistic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Alternative assays are highly desirable to reduce the extensive experimental animal use in developmental toxicity testing. In the present study, we developed an improved test system for assessing neurodevelopmental toxicity using differentiating embryonic stem cells. We advanced previously established methods by merging, modifying and abbreviating the original 20-day protocol into a more efficient 13-day neural differentiation protocol. Using morphological observation, immunocytochemistry, gene expression and flow cytometry, it was shown predominantly multiple lineages of neuroectodermal cells were formed in our protocol and to a lower extent, endodermal and mesodermal differentiated cell types. This abbreviated protocol should lead to an advanced screening method using morphology in combination with selected differentiation markers aimed at predicting neurodevelopmental toxicity. Finally, the assay was shown to express differential sensitivity to a model developmental neurotoxicant, methyl mercury. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The embryonic stem cell test (EST) predicts developmental toxicity based on the inhibition of cardiomyocyte differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESC). The subjective endpoint, the long culture duration together with the undefined applicability domain and related predictivity need further improvement to facilitate implementation of the EST into regulatory strategies. These aspects may be improved by studying gene expression changes in the ESC differentiation cultures and their modulation by compound exposure using transcriptomics. Here, we tested the developmental toxicants monobutyl phthalate and 6-aminonicotinamide. ESC were allowed to differentiated, and cardiomyocyte differentiation was assessed after 10 days of culture. RNA of solvent controls was collected after 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of exposure, and RNA of developmental-toxicant-exposed cultures was collected after 24 and 96 h. Samples were hybridized to DNA microarrays, and 1355 genes were found differentially expressed among the unexposed experimental groups. These regulated genes were involved in differentiation-related processes, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on these genes showed that the unexposed experimental groups appeared in chronological order in the PCA, which can therefore be regarded as a continuous representation of the differentiation track. The developmental-toxicant-exposed cultures appeared to deviate significantly from this differentiation track, which confirms the compound-modulating effects on the differentiation process. The incorporation of transcriptomics in the EST is expected to provide a more informative and improved endpoint in the EST as compared with morphology, allowing early detection of differentiation modulation. Furthermore, this approach may improve the definition of the applicability domain and predictivity of the EST. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Embryonic Stem cell Test (EST) is an in vitro alternative test designed for the prediction of embryotoxicity. The endpoint of the test is the interference with mesoderm-derived cardiac muscle differentiation observed under the microscope as beating muscle foci. The relative subjectivity of this endpoint, as well as the applicability domain and related predictivity need further to be defined to facilitate implementation of the EST into regulatory strategies. The use of transcriptomics techniques to monitor differentiation-related gene expression changes in the EST might improve the EST in each of these aspects. Therefore, we studied the gene expression profile in embryonic stem cells (ESC) in the early phase of differentiation and its modulation by exposure to the well known embryotoxicant monobutyl phthalate (MBP). Cells were exposed from the early embryoid body stage onwards and RNA was collected after 6, 12 and 24h of exposure. Samples were hybridized to spotted microarrays, containing 21,997-mer oligonucleotides. Differential gene expression patterns were analyzed. A total number of 43 genes that were found to be upregulated in this study as a consequence of induction of cardiomyocyte differentiation were combined in a gene set, named ‘VAN_DARTEL_HEARTDIFF_24H’. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) comparative analysis using multiple gene set collections clearly showed that temporal changes in gene expression were functionally related to cardiomyocyte differentiation. Furthermore, exposure of embryoid bodies (EB) to MBP increased expression of pluripotency-, proliferation- and nonmesodermal differentiation-related gene sets, which indicates inhibition of mesodermal differentiation. The inhibition of mesoderm-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation by MBP exposure was most obvious through the downregulation of our novel gene set identified in this study, ‘VAN_DARTEL_HEARTDIFF_24H’, which specifically describes the niche of early cardiomyocyte differentiation. The gene set defined in this study might serve as a starting point for defining a dedicated gene set for early detection of embryotoxicity in the EST. Such a gene set may serve as an improved endpoint in the EST as compared to morphology, and will allow a more detailed definition of the applicability domain and predictivity of EST. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]