My research interests center on the adaptive responses of organisms to environmental insults. I conduct research that explores how fish respond to natural environmental stimuli (e.g., fluctuations in the oxygen concentrations, stream velocities), as well as to man-made stressors (e.g., endocrine disrupting chemicals in particular). To determine how fish adapt to and are perturbed by environmental stimuli I combine classic physiological (assessment of hormones, small metabolites) and organismal endpoints (swimming performance, reproductive success, behavior). I am also using a functional genomics approach to complement approaches conventionally used for study of the physiological basis of behavior and reproductive toxicology.

Illustration © Emily S. Damstra, used with permission (www.emilydamstra.com)

Our Research in the News

NATURE NEWS: UST BIOL 486 research “Wastewater chemicals dampen fish fervor” http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101112/full/news.2010.607.html

MPR NEWS- Study: “Pharmaceutical chemicals widespread in Minn. Streams”
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/03/11/wastewater-pharmaceuticals-streams/ 

Research Papers

Novak PJ, Arnold WA, Blazer VS, Halden RU, Klaper RD, Kolpin DW, Kriebel D, Love NG, Martinovic-Weigelt D, Patisaul HB, Snyder SA, Vom Saal FS, Weisbrod AV, Swackhamer DL. On the need for a National (U.S.) research program to elucidate the potential risks to human health and the environment posed by contaminants of emerging concern. Environ Sci Technol. 2011 May 1; 45(9):3829-30.

Ankley GT, Cavallin JE, Durhan EJ, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Makynen EA, Martinovic-Weigelt D, Wehmas LC, Villeneuve DL. Temporal evaluation of effects of a model 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitor on endocrine function in the fathead minnow. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2011 Jun 10.

Martinovic-Weigelt D, Wang RL, Villeneuve DL, Bencic DC, Lazorchak J, Ankley GT. Gene expression profiling of the androgen receptor antagonists flutamide and vinclozolin in zebrafish (Danio rerio) gonads. Aquat Toxicol. 2011 Jan 25;101(2):447-58.

Skolness SY, Durhan EJ, Garcia-Reyero N, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Makynen EA, Martinovic-Weigelt D, Perkins E, Villeneuve DL, Ankley GT. Effects of a short-term exposure to the fungicide prochloraz on endocrine function and gene expression in female fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Aquat Toxicol. 2011 Jun; 103(3-4):170-8.

Ekman DR, Villeneuve DL, Teng Q, Ralston-Hooper KJ, Martinovic-Weigelt D, Kahl MD, Jensen KM, Durhan EJ, Makynen EA, Ankley GT, Collette TW. Use of gene expression, biochemical and metabolite profiles to enhance exposure and effects assessment of the model androgen 17β-trenbolone in fish. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2011 Feb;30(2):319-29.

Wehmas LC, Cavallin JE, Durhan EJ, Kahl MD, Martinovic D, Mayasich J, Tuominen T, Villeneuve DL, Ankley GT. Screening complex effluents for estrogenic activity  with the T47D-KBluc cell bioassay: assay optimization and comparison with in vivo responses in fish. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2011 Feb; 30(2):439-45.

Garcia-Reyero N, Lavelle CM, Escalon BL, Martinovic D, Kroll KJ, Sorensen PW,  Denslow ND. Behavioral and genomic impacts of a wastewater effluent on the fathead minnow. Aquat Toxicol. 2011 Jan 17;101(1):38-48.

Hala, D. Huggett D., Martinovic, D. 2010. In silico predicted essential genes required for zebrafish (Danio rerio) steroid hormone production. In Proceedings of the First ACM International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCB '10). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 487-489.http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1854776.1854866

Ankley GT, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Durhan EJ, Makynen EA, Cavallin JE, Martinovic D, Wehmas LC, Mueller ND, Villeneuve DL. Use of chemical mixtures to differentiate mechanisms of endocrine action in a small fish model. Aquat Toxicol. 2010 Sep 1; 99(3):389-96.

Collette TW, Teng Q, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Makynen EA, Durhan EJ, Villeneuve DL, Martinovic-Weigelt D, Ankley GT, Ekman DR. Impacts of an anti-androgen and an androgen/anti-androgen mixture on the metabolite profile of male fathead minnow urine. Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Sep 1; 44(17):6881-6.

Villeneuve DL, Garcia-Reyero N, Martinovic D, Cavallin JE, Mueller ND, Wehmas LC, Kahl MD, Linnum AL, Perkins EJ, Ankley GT. 2010. Influence of ovarian stage on transcript profiles in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) ovary tissue. Aquat Toxicol. 98:354-66

Villeneuve DL, Garcia-Reyero N, Martinovic D, Mueller ND, Cavallin JE, Durhan EJ, Makynen EA, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Blake LS, Perkins EJ, Ankley GT. 2010. Effects of a dopamine receptor antagonist on fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, reproduction. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 73:472-7.

Villeneuve DL, Garcia-Reyero N, Martinovic D, Mueller ND, Cavallin JE, Durhan EJ, Makynen EA, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Blake LS, Perkins EJ, Ankley GT. 2010. Effects of a dopamine receptor antagonist on fathead minnow dominance behavior and ovarian gene expression in the fathead minnow and zebrafish. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 73:478-85.

Blake LS, Martinovic D, Gray E.L. Jr., Wilson V, Regal R, Villeneuve DL, Ankley GT. 2010. Characterization of the androgen-sensitive MDA-kb2 cell line for assessing complex environmental mixtures Environ Toxicol Chem. 6:1367-1376.

Martinovic D., Villeneuve D.L., Kahl M.D., Blake L.S., Brodin J.D., Ankley G.T. 2009. Hypoxia alters gene expression in the gonads of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Aquat Toxicol.13;95(4):258-72.

Ankley GT, Bencic DC, Cavallin JE, Jensen KM, Kahl MD, Makynen EA, Martinovic D, Mueller ND, Wehmas LC, Villeneuve DL . 2009. Dynamic nature of alterations in the endocrine system of fathead minnows exposed to the fungicide prochloraz. Toxicol Sci. 112:344-53.

Villeneuve L, Wang RL, Bencic DC, Biales AD, Martinovic D, Lazorchak JM, Toth G, Ankley GT. 2009. Altered gene expression in the brain and ovaries of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to the aromatase inhibitor fadrozole: microarray analysis and hypothesis generation. Environ Toxicol Chem. 28(8):1767-82.

Garcia-Reyero N, Adelman IR, Martinovic D, Liu L, Denslow ND. 2009. Site-specific impacts on gene expression and behavior in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed in situ to streams adjacent to sewage treatment plants. BMC Bioinformatics. 10 Suppl 11:S11.

Villeneuve DL, Mueller ND, Martinovic D, Makynen EA, Kahl MD, Jensen KM, Durhan, EJ, Cavallin JE, Bencic D, Ankley GT. 2009. Direct effects, compensation, and recovery in female fathead minnows exposed to a model aromatase inhibitor. Environ Health Perspect. 117:624-31

Ankley GT, Bencic DC, Breen MS, Collette TW, Conolly RB, Denslow ND, Edwards SW, Ekman DR, Garcia-Reyero N, Jensen KM, Lazorchak JM, Martinovic D , Miller D, Perkins EJ, Orlando EF, Villeneuve DL, Wang RL, Watanabe KH. 2009. Endocrine disrupting chemicals in fish: Developing exposure indicators and predictive models of effects based on mechanism of action, Aquatic Toxicology. 92: 168-178.

Review papers

Hotchkiss AK, GT Ankley, VS Wilson, PC Hartig, EJ Durhan, KM Jensen, D Martinovic and LE Gray Jr. 2008. Of Mice and Men (and Mosquitofish): Antiandrogens and Androgens in the Environment. BioScience. 58:1037–1050.

Books

Villeneuve, D. L.; Martinovic, D.; Ankley G. T. Toxicogenomics applied to ecological risk assessment. In Applications of Toxicogenomic in Safety Evaluation and Risk Assessment; Boverhof, D. R;  Gollapudi, B. B., Eds.; John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, 2011; pp 207-235. ISBN: 978-0-470-44982-0

Reports

Lee, K.E., Langer, S.K., Barber, L.B., Writer, J.H., Ferrey, M.L., Schoenfuss, H.L., Furlong, E.T., William T. Foreman, Gray, J.L., ReVello, R.C., Martinovic, D., Woodruff, O.P., Keefe, S.H., Brown, G.K., Taylor, H.E., Ferrer, I., and Thurman, E.M., 2011, Endocrine active chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals of concern in surface water, wastewater-treatment plant effluent, and bed sediment, and biological characteristics in selected streams, Minnesota—design, methods, and data, 2009: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 575, 54 p., with appendixes.

Co-PI - 6/1/2011 - 6/30/2013 – “Occurrence and Effects of Endocrine Active chemicals and pharmaceuticals in the St. Croix River”. Kathy Lee (USGS Minnesota Water Science Center), Byron Karns (National Park Service), Heiko Schoenfuss (St. Cloud State University) and Dalma Martinovic University of St. Thomas.

Co-PI - 9/1/2010 - 6/30/2011- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency – “Assessing the Contribution of Microhabitat Differences on Biological Effects in Bluegill Sunfish in Sullivan Lake, MN”. Heiko Schoenfuss (St. Cloud State University) and Dalma Martinovic University of St. Thomas.

Co-PI - 9/1/2009 - 6/30/2011- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency- “Relative Contributions of Selected Endocrine Active Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals from Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent and Other Sources to Minnesota Surface Waters” Kathy E. Lee, Richard Kiesling, Larry Barber, Jeff Writer, Heiko Schoenfuss, Dalma Martinovic, Mark Ferrey, Angela Preimesberger.

Co-PI- 9/1/2009 - 6/30/2011 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency- "Quantifying Exposure & Effects of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents" Through Controlled Filed Studies. Schoenfuss, H.L., Martinovic,D.

2008-2010 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Great Lakes National Program Office.  "Biological Effects and Elimination of Estrogenic Septic Discharge". Schoenfuss,H.L., Novak, P.J., Arnold, W.A., Julius, M.L., Martinovic, D.

2009-2012 - Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. “A Comprehensive Assessment of the Potential for Endocrine Disruptors to Impact the Reproductive Potential of Fish Populations in the Chicago Area Waterways.” Schoenfuss, H.L., Schulz, M., Martinovic, D.

Funded Student Proposals

2011 

• Chrissy Miresse, Young Scholar Research Grant: Investigating The Effects of Land Use Surrounding a Fresh-Water Lake Ecosystem: Septic Tanks and Estrogenic Pollution on Sullivan Lake ($4,000)

2010

• Matt Pazderka, Young Scholar Research Grant : Endocrine Active Chemicals from Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent and Other Sources to Minnesota Surface Waters ($4,000)
• Channing James, Young Scholar Research Grant: Role of urine in chemical signaling of social status in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) ($4,000)
• Evan Eid, Collaborative Inquiry Grant:  ($1,000): Estrogenic potency of soy processing plant effluent.

2009

• Jascha Marchuk, Young Scholar Research Grant: Development and optimization of in vitro cell-based assays for assessment of androgenic activity. ($4,000)
• Emma Jindra, Young Scholar Research Grant: Monitoring estrogens in the Chicago Area Waterway System. ($4,000)
• Bisrat Fekadu, NSF STEP Summer Research Grant: Assessment of the occurrence of endocrine disruptors in the Chicago Area Waterway System. ($4,000)
  

Mayo Innovation Scholar Program – Rachel Goldenstein and Shakeyla Barber

Young Scholars Research Program – Emma Jindra, Jascha Marchuk, Matt Pazderka, Channing James, Sam Jensen, Chrissy Miresse

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) - Bisrat Fekadu

Research assistants – Tyler Firkus, Evan Eid, Pat Zawadski, Kelsey Sletten, Sara Seidl, Eric Smith, Fartun Dirie, Sika Lawson, Mondraya Howard, Nya Wur.