Sex-specific characterization and evaluation of the Alzheimer's disease genetic risk factor sorl1 in zebrafish during aging and in the adult brain following a 100 ppb embryonic lead exposure.

Developmental lead (Pb) exposure is suggested in laboratory studies to be a trigger for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sortilin-related receptor, L (DLR class) A repeats-containing (SORL1) is a recently identified AD genetic risk factor. SORL1 has limited characterization in vertebrate models in comparison to other AD genetic risk factors. To characterize SORL1 further, protein sequence homology between humans, mice and zebrafish was analyzed and showed conservation of functional repeats and domain orientation. Next, spatial expression of sorl1 in zebrafish larvae was completed and diffuse expression in neural tissue that was not restricted to the brain was observed. Influences of sex and age on quantitative expression of sorl1 in the brain of adult zebrafish were then assessed. Sex-specific alteration of sorl1 expression transpired during the aging process in females. The zebrafish was then utilized to investigate the impacts of a 100 ppb embryonic Pb exposure on sorl1 expression and other known AD genetic risk factors. Sex-specific quantitative gene expression analysis was completed with adult zebrafish brain to compare those developmentally exposed to Pb or a control treatment, but no significant difference in sorl1 expression or other AD genetic risk factors was observed. Overall, this study provided characterization of sorl1 with changes in brain expression during aging being female-specific. This finding is in agreement with females being more prone to the onset of AD, but analysis of additional AD genetic risk factors is needed to facilitate our understanding of the impact of a 100 ppb embryonic Pb exposure.