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Induction of vitellogenin gene expression in adult male fathead minnows for select EDCs in 48-hour exposures
Citation:
REDDY, T. V., M. E. Smith, J. M. LAZORCHAK, D. L. LATTIER, A. D. BIALES, D. C. BENCIC, AND R. W. FLICK. Induction of vitellogenin gene expression in adult male fathead minnows for select EDCs in 48-hour exposures. Presented at SETAC, New Orleans, LA, November 19 - 23, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
A great deal of uncertainty exists regarding the extent to which humans and wildlife are exposed to chemical stressors in aquatic resources. Scientific literature is replete with studies of xenobiotics in surface waters, including a recent national USGS survey of endocrine disrupting chemicals; however, biological significance of these chemical data is in question since chemical bioavailability is largely unknown and biological events may be induced by undetected chemicals and varying ecological conditions (i.e., total nitrogen and phosphorus). Whole effluent toxicity data exist, but do not answer specific exposure questions that may support detailed ecological risk assessments. Interpretation of data arising from exposure to complex chemical mixtures is even more problematic. A solution to these problems is development of sensitive and specific cellular indicators of exposure in aquatic organisms. The potential for development is enhanced by emergent resources in molecular biology and associated technologies, most notably DNA microarrays consisting of transcriptionally relevant nucleic acid sequences that can be used to detect altered gene expression in cells, tissues and various life stages of organisms exposed to chemical and natural stressors.
Description:
Endocrine disrupting chemicals have been shown to be present in surface waters, sediments and sludge, and are known to induce vitellogenin gene liver transcripts in male fathead minnows. The purpose of our study was to establish the lowest concentrations of estrogenic chemicals necessary to induce vitellogenin gene expression in male fathead minnow liver during 48 hour laboratory continuous addition or daily renewal exposure using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.