Dr. ir. J. Legler

Summary

Juliette Legler is a toxicologist with training in environmental sciences, aquatic ecotoxicology and molecular biology. She has been employed since 2001 by the IVM as a research scientist. In 2005 she served as Interim Head of the Department of Chemistry and Biology, and is currently Deputy Head of the Department. Her main research focus is determining the effects and molecular mechanisms of toxicity of chemicals in the environment. To this end she develops bioassays using molecular biological (genomics) approaches in both cell-based and zebrafish models. She is coordinator of the EU project OBELIX, which studies possible links between early life stage exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals and the development of obesity later in life. She was recently awarded a “Vernieuwingsimpuls” Innovational Research Incentives Scheme VIDI grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) for her proposal entitled “Zebrafish as a model for understanding the role of environmental chemicals in obesity.” In addition, she is an advisor to various advisory committees such as the Dutch Health Council and OECD.

Expertise

Environmental toxicology, molecular and cell biology, zebrafish developmental biology, bioassay development and validation, endocrine disruption, obesity, genomics, epigenetics

Academic training

1996-2000	Ph.D. degree in Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Subject: Bioassay development for endocrine disrupting chemicals. Date of PhD defence: February 27, 2001
1992-1994	Master of Sciences degree in Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University. Major fields: environmental toxicology, cell biology
1987-1992	Honour’s Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada. Major fields: biology, aquatic toxicology, environmental studies

Professional employment history

May 2006- present	Associate Professor and Deputy Head, Department of Chemistry and Biology, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University (VU) Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Jan 2005- May 2006	Interim Head, Department of Chemistry and Biology, IVM/VU, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Jun 2001 – Dec 2004	Research Scientist, Department of Chemistry and Biology, IVM/VU, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Feb 2000 – May 2001	Post-doctoral researcher, Netherlands Institute for Developmental Biology (NIOB), Utrecht in collaboration with Department of Toxicology, Wageningen University

Selected Research Projects

·         Zebrafish as a model for understanding the role of environmental chemicals in obesity. Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Innovational Research Incentives Scheme (VIDI) program, 2010-2015. Budget 800.000 Euros) Role: Coordinator and principal investigator IVM

·         Environmental chemical disruptors of oxidative phosphorylation as a potential cause of wasting and reproductive effects in Baltic wildlife. Feb 2010 – Feb. 2013. FORMAS grant, Sweden. Total budget: 200 KEuros, IVM budget: 60 KEuro. Role: principal investigator IVM

·         Obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals: linking prenatal exposure to the development of obesity later in life (OBELIX). European Union, Seventh Framework Program, May 1 2009- May 1, 2013. Total budget: 3 Million Euros, IVM budget: 1 Million Euros, Role: Coordinator and principal investigator IVM

·         Assessing the living soil: An ecogenomics approach to explore and unlock sustainable life-support functions of soils (Ecogenomics). Netherlands Genomics Initiative (BSIK) project, 2004-2010, IVM budget 1.3 MEuro). Role: principal investigator IVM

·         The transgenic zebrafish model: a modern and efficient approach to measuring and understanding the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Innovational Research Incentives Scheme (VENI) program, 2002-2007, budget 200 KEuro).

·         Risk Assessment of Brominated Flame Retardants as Suspected Endocrine Disrupters for Human and Wildlife Health (FIRE) (European Union, Fifth Framework Program, 2002-2006).

Selected publications

Link to full publication list at IVM since 1999

Legler, J., Van den Brink, C.E., Brouwer, A., Murk, A.J., Van der Saag, P.T., Vethaak, A.D. & Van der Burg, B. (1999). Development of a stably transfected estrogen receptor-mediated luciferase reporter gene assay in the human T47D breast cancer cell line. Toxicol. Sciences48, 55-66.

Legler, J., Broekhof, J.L.M., Brouwer, A., Lanser, P.H., Murk, A.J., Van der Saag, P.T., Vethaak, A.D., Wester, P., Zivkovic, D. & Van der Burg, B. (2000). A novel in vivo bioassay for (xeno-) estrogens using transgenic zebrafish. Environ. Sci. Technol., 34, 4439-4444.

Legler, J., Dennekamp, M., Vethaak, A.D., Brouwer, A., Koeman, J.H., Van der Burg, B. & Murk. A.J. (2002). Detection of estrogenic activity in sediment-associated compounds using in vitro reporter gene assays. Science of the Total Environ.,293, 69-83.

Legler, J., Jonas, A., Lahr, J., Vethaak, A.D., Brouwer, A. & Murk. A.J. (2002). Biological measurement of estrogenic activity in urine and bile conjugates with the in vitro ER CALUX reporter gene assay. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 21(3), 473-479.

Legler, J., Zeinstra, L.M., Schuitemaker, F., Lanser, P.H., Bogerd, J., Brouwer, A., Vethaak, A.D., De Voogt, P., Murk, A.J. & Van der Burg, B. (2002). Comparison of in vivo and in vitro reporter gene assays for short-term screening of estrogenic activity. Environ. Sci. Tech.,36, 4410-4415.

Legler, J. & Brouwer, A. (2003). Are brominated flame retardants endocrine disruptors? Environment International, 29, 879-885.

Houtman, C.J., Van Oostveen, A.M., Brouwer, A., Lamoree, M.H. & Legler, J. (2004).
Identification of estrogenic compounds in fish bile using bioassay-directed fractionation.
Environmental Science and Technology, 38(23), 6415-6423.

Vethaak, A.D., Lahr, J., Schrap, S.M., Belfroid, A.C., Rijs, G.B., Gerritsen, A., de Boer, J., Bulder, A.S., Grinwis, G.C., Kuiper, R.V., Legler, J., Murk, T.A., Peijnenburg, W., Verhaar, H.J. & de Voogt, P. (2005). An integrated assessment of estrogenic contamination and biological effects in the aquatic environment of The Netherlands. Chemosphere, 59(4),
511-24.

Bogers, R., Mutsaerds, E., Druke, J., De Roode, D., Murk, A.J., Van der Burg, B. & Legler, J. (2006). Estrogenic endpoints in fish early-life-stage tests: luciferase and vitellogenin induction in estrogen responsive transgenic zebrafish. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 25(1), 241-247.

Hamers, T., Kamstra, J.H., Sonneveld, E., Murk, A.J., Kester, M.H., Andersson, P.L., Legler, J. & Brouwer, A. (2006). In Vitro Profiling of the Endocrine Disrupting Potency of Brominated Flame Retardants. Toxicological Sciences,92(1), 157-173.

Van Boxtel, A.L., Kamstra, J.H., Cenijn, P.H., Pietersen, B., Wagner, M.J., Antink M., Krab, K., Van der Burg, B., Marsh, G., Brouwer, A. & Legler, J. (2008). Microarray analysis reveals a mechanism of phenolic polybrominated diphenylether toxicity in zebrafish. Environ.Sci. Technol., 42(5), 1773–1779.

Van Boxtel, A.L., Kamstra, J.H., Fluitsma, D.M. & Legler, J. (2010) Dithiocarbamates are teratogenic to developing zebrafish through inhibition of lysyl oxidase activity, Tox. Appl. Pharm. 244(2):156-61.

Legler, J., Hamers, T., van Eck van der Sluijs-van de Bor, M., Schoeters, G., van der Ven, L., Eggesbo, M., Koppe, J and Tronovec, T. (2011) The OBELIX project: early life exposure to endocrine disruptors and obesity. American Journal Clinical Nutrition, in press.

Legler, J., van Velzen, M., Cenijn, P., Lamoree, M. & Wegener, J.W. (2011). Effect-directed analysis of municipal landfill soil reveals novel developmental toxicants in the zebrafish Danio rerio, Environ. Tox. Sci. submitted.

Van Boxtel, A.L., Gansner, J.M., Hakvoort, H., Snell, H., Legler, J. and Gitlin, J.D. (2011) Lysyl oxidase-like 3b is critical for proliferation of chondrogenic progenitor cells during zebrafish craniofacial development. Matrix Biology, in press.

Busch, W., Duis, K., Fenske, M., Maack, G., Legler, J., Padilla, S., Strahle, U., Witters, H., Scholz, S. (2011). The zebrafish embryo model in toxicology and teratology. Repro. Toxicol., in press.