Injection of resperpine into zebrafish, prevents fish to fish communication of radiation-induced bystander signals: confirmation in vivo of a role for serotonin in the mechanism.

Serotonin (5-HT) has been implicated as a potential modulator of the bystander effect in cell cultures. To assess the relevance of serotonin in vivo experiments were done with the zebrafish (Danio rerio). This species, when irradiated, transmits bystander signals to non-irradiated fish. The animals were injected with reserpine, an inhibitor of serotonin at a dose of 80mg/kg of body mass. The results show that reserpine treated fish had only 27% of the serotonin in non-treated fish. Skin tissue samples were collected from the fish and assayed for bystander signal production using a reporter bioassay. Reserpine prevented the production and communication of signals between fish. Intracellular calcium flux, identified as a bystander response in the reporter cells confirmed this. Medium harvested from tissues of X-rayed fish and their bystanders, showed an oscillating pattern of calcium flux. Samples from X-rayed fish pretreated with reserpine produced a chaotic pattern of random fluctuations in the reporter cells, while their bystander fish led to increased calcium, but no oscillations. These results suggest that 5-HT is involved in bystander signalling in zebrafish, and by decreasing the amount of available 5-HT the bystander effect can be blocked.