Boston University, Department of Biology, 5 Cummington St., Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2011 Sep;154(3):213-25. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2011.05.008. Epub 2011 Jun 1.
Reproductive changes have been observed in painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) from a site with known contamination located on Cape Cod, MA, USA. We hypothesize that these changes are caused by exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds and that genes playing a significant role in reproduction are affected. cDNA sequences were determined for estrogen receptor alpha and aromatase in the painted turtle. These genes were measured in our study animals using quantitative PCR. Adult turtles were trapped from our study site (Moody Pond, MP) or a reference site (Washburn Pond) and exposed to laboratory environments containing soil from either site. The red-eared slider (Pseudemys scripta), a pond turtle closely related to the painted turtle, was used to assess neonatal exposure to soil and water from the sites. Our results show an increase in hepatic estrogen receptor, which suggests exposure to estrogenic contaminants. Female turtles from MP appear to have a long-term effect on hepatic ER. Other findings were apparent age-dependent differences in expression of aromatase and ER in the brains of neonate and year-old juvenile turtles. Phylogenetic analyses of the cDNA sequences further support the hypothesis that turtles are in a sister clade to birds and crocodilians.
马萨诸塞州科德角一个已知受到污染的地点的彩龟（Chrysemys picta）出现了生殖变化。我们假设这些变化是由内分泌干扰化合物暴露引起的，并且参与生殖的关键基因受到了影响。我们确定了彩龟的雌激素受体 alpha 和芳香化酶的 cDNA 序列。在本研究中，我们使用定量 PCR 测量了这些基因在实验动物中的表达水平。成年彩龟是从我们的研究地点（Moody Pond，MP）或参考地点（Washburn Pond）捕获的，并暴露于含有来自这两个地点的土壤的实验室环境中。红耳滑龟（Pseudemys scripta）是与彩龟密切相关的池塘龟，用于评估来自这些地点的土壤和水对新生儿的暴露情况。我们的结果表明，肝脏雌激素受体的增加表明暴露于雌激素类污染物。来自 MP 的雌性龟似乎对肝脏 ER 有长期影响。其他发现是在幼龟和 1 岁幼龟的大脑中，芳香化酶和 ER 的表达存在明显的年龄依赖性差异。cDNA 序列的系统发育分析进一步支持了这样的假设，即龟类与鸟类和鳄鱼具有姐妹群关系。
