Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Department of Environmental Sciences, United States.
Aquat Toxicol. 2010 Feb 18;96(3):182-93. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.10.016. Epub 2009 Oct 20.
A battery of biomarkers were used to evaluate the reproductive health and contaminant exposure of Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) inhabiting the heavily industrialized Newark Bay and a reference population from Great Bay, Tuckerton, NJ. The biomarkers investigated included classical endpoints (gonad and liver histopathology, body and tissue morphometrics), hepatic mRNA expression (CYP1A and vitellogenin I), hepatic protein levels (CYP1A and vitellogenin), gonadal aromatase mRNA expression, and chemical exposure analyses (bile PAHs). Our data showed no significant differences between populations for body size and body weight. However, Newark Bay killifish exhibited molecular and morphological changes indicative of impaired reproductive health and endocrine disruption compared to the reference population. Newark Bay males had decreased gonad weight, altered testis development and decreased gonadal aromatase mRNA expression. Newark Bay females had decreased gonad weight, inhibited gonadal development, decreased hepatic vitellogenin production (mRNA and protein) and increased mRNA expression of gonadal aromatase. In addition, Newark Bay females had a significant increase in the percent of pre-vitellogenic follicles (43% at Tuckerton, 64% at Newark Bay) and a significantly decreased percent of follicles at the mid-vitellogenic and mature stages (25% mature at Tuckerton and 3% at Newark Bay). In addition to reproductive endpoints, killifish at Newark Bay exhibited high basal levels of CYP1A mRNA and protein expression which indicated exposure to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. An inverse relationship between hepatic CYP1A protein and hepatic vitellogenin mRNA expression was established suggesting a possible link between AhR agonist exposure and vitellogenesis. Killifish in the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary are exposed to a number of chemicals that can interact with the AhR pathway and stimulate enzymatic activity along with chemicals that can modify reproductive success in this indigenous species. Similar effects on the reproductive development in less resilient species may limit their ability to repopulate the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary and similarly contaminated water systems.
采用了一系列生物标志物来评估栖息在高度工业化的纽瓦克湾（Newark Bay）和新泽西州塔克顿（Tuckerton）大贝（Great Bay）的参考种群中的大西洋鲦鱼（Fundulus heteroclitus）的生殖健康和污染物暴露情况。所研究的生物标志物包括经典终点（性腺和肝脏组织病理学，身体和组织形态计量学），肝 mRNA 表达（CYP1A 和卵黄蛋白原 I），肝蛋白水平（CYP1A 和卵黄蛋白原），性腺芳香酶 mRNA 表达以及化学暴露分析（胆汁多环芳烃）。我们的数据显示，两个种群之间的体型和体重没有显着差异。然而，与参考种群相比，纽瓦克湾的鲦鱼表现出分子和形态变化，表明生殖健康受损和内分泌干扰。纽瓦克湾雄性的性腺重量降低，睾丸发育异常，性腺芳香酶 mRNA 表达降低。纽瓦克湾雌性的性腺重量降低，性腺发育受阻，肝卵黄蛋白原产生（mRNA 和蛋白质）减少，性腺芳香酶 mRNA 表达增加。此外，纽瓦克湾雌性的前卵黄生成卵泡（在塔克顿为 43％，在纽瓦克湾为 64％）百分比显着增加，中卵黄生成和成熟阶段的卵泡百分比显着降低（在塔克顿为 25％成熟，在纽瓦克湾为 3％）。除了生殖终点外，纽瓦克湾的鲦鱼还表现出 CYP1A mRNA 和蛋白表达的基础水平较高，这表明它们接触了芳烃受体（AhR）激动剂。肝 CYP1A 蛋白与肝卵黄蛋白原 mRNA 表达之间存在反比关系，这表明 AhR 激动剂暴露与卵黄发生之间可能存在联系。纽约-新泽西港河口的鲦鱼暴露于许多可与 AhR 途径相互作用并刺激酶活性的化学物质，以及可改变该本地物种生殖成功率的化学物质。在繁殖能力较低的物种中，类似的生殖发育影响可能会限制它们重新定居纽约-新泽西港河口和类似受污染水系统的能力。
