Thyroid hormones (THs) are critical to developmental pathways and essential in the normal function of
the cardiovascular, central nervous, digestive, and reproductive systems. In amphibian metamorphosis,
THs are vital in reorganization. Previous results from our lab using microarrays found that expression of
two genes in particular, fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAPα) and corticotropin releasing hormone
binding protein (CRHBP), were highly TH-responsive and were disrupted by exposure to environmental
contaminants. In order to further evaluate these genes as TH sensitive, we exposed Xenopus laevis, a
common amphibian model, to 0, 0.1, 1.0, 10 and 50nM of triiodothyronine (T3) for 48 and 72 hours. We
then performed real time PCR relative quantification to measure shifts in transcript levels in the
intestine. The transcript levels were then compared to morphometric shifts. FAPα and CRHBP gene
expression was upregulated as early as 48 hours down to a concentration at 10nM and 50nM T3
exposure. By 72 hours post-exposure, FAPα expression was upregulated in a dose-dependent manner
and was sensitive to 1 nM T3 exposures while CRHBP also showed dose responsiveness, with the lowest
effective dose being 10 nM. These results indicate that FAPα and CRHBP are potential gene expression
markers for thyroid sensitivity. CRHBP has been shown to be an important modulator of amphibian
metamorphic timing, and FAPα expression is linked to several human cancers. Because expression of
these genes is clearly under TH control during development, it is important to gain a better
understanding of the functional role they play in tissue organization.
Reviewer: Joshua A. Mayoral
Category
An Ideal Abstract will have:
Percent
possible
Score & Comments
Title
Title is informative, yet brief and catches
the reader’s eye.
5
4
It seems that several of us
overlooked this detail (and the
authors/affiliations section) so
I'll only take off one point..but I
suppose Karen has the last say!
Authors and
affiliations
All authors and coauthors are listed along 5
with their affiliations.
4
Style and
mechanics
The abstract contains proper spelling,
grammar, complete sentences, proper
syntax and is readable. It is also within
the 150 word limit.
15
15
Topic sentence
The topic sentence gives enough
15
information to put your study in context.
Background information is relevant and
informative.
15
Problem
statement (or
gap)
The problem statement addresses the
gap in knowledge or understanding that
your study seeks to address and fill. This
can be in the form of a statement, a
hypothesis or a question.
15
10
Methods/
experimental
design
A brief description of the experiment or
methods used to address your question
or problem is given. Just enough
information is given so the reader can
interpret your results.
15
Results or
findings
A concise explanation of key findings is
given.
15
Excellent first sentence
introducing the scope/relevance
of thyroid hormone effects
The gaps in knowledge are
somewhat implied toward the
end of the abstract, but not
quite stated clearly. A single
sentence explaining the
unexplored transcript
expressions by thyroid hormone
would probably be sufficient;
although it may be hard to fit in.
15
Simple
15
Statement of
The abstract interprets the results,
significance and evaluates what the results mean to the
conclusions
project, and defines the context within
the field.
15
Certainly after reading the
abstract, if nothing else, the
audience has an understanding
of the implications of the
research based on the results
Other
comments
Total
15
Simple and to-the-point, just
some tidying up necessary
100%
93%