Omics in reproductive and developmental toxicology

In recent years, ground-breaking research in genomic applications in the area of reproductive and developmental toxicology has been successful in linking specific genes to effects induced by drugs or chemicals. Gene expression profiling has demonstrated the ability to provide mechanistic insight into cellular mechanisms of drug and chemical-induced effects, but cannot reveal insights into mechanisms that are not regulated at the gene level. Incorporation of proteomics into the study of reproduction and development provides the means to investigate protein level interactions, including posttranslation modifications that are known to be involved in the generation of a number of fetal malformations and are functions that cannot be evaluated through measurement of mRNA or through DNA sequencing. In recent years, the application of proteomics in the study of reproduction and development has rapidly increased. Applications of metabolomics in reproduction and development are at their infancy, but clearly, this technology will bring huge advantages in the development of noninvasive markers to stage disease, monitor treatments, and link exposure with health outcomes. The goal of this chapter is to summarize recent advances in genomic and proteomic applications in reproductive and developmental toxicology and to provide a review and examples of metabolomic applications for the study of reproductive and developmental toxicology.