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Perturbation of Gene Expression and Steroidogenesis with In vitro Exposure of Fathead Minnow Ovaries to Ketoconazole
Citation:
PERKINS, E. J., N. GARCIA-REYERO, D. L. VILLENEUVE, D. MARTINOVIC, S. M. BRASFIELD, L. S. BLAKE, J. D. BRODIN, N. DENSLOW, AND G. T. ANKLEY. Perturbation of Gene Expression and Steroidogenesis with In vitro Exposure of Fathead Minnow Ovaries to Ketoconazole. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 66:113-115, (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
These data suggest that, with the exception of cytochrome P450 19A, these steroid metabolic genes are regulated in a feede forward manner and that the effects of ketoconazole may be broader than anticipated based on the mechanism of action alone.
Description:
Various chemicals in the environment can disrupt normal endocrine function, including steroid hormone synthesis, causing deleterious effects. Because these compounds can act at different levels of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, their effects can lead to a mixture of responses difficult to characterize. In this work, we exposed ovarian tissue of fathead minnows to the steroidogenesis inhibitor ketoconazole in order to determine its in vitro effects. Exposure to the pesticide not only inhibited steroid production, but also changed the gene expression profile in exposed tissues, lending insights as to how the HPG axis would be affected in whole animals.