Boston University, Department of Biology, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2011 Nov;154(4):305-17. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2011.06.017. Epub 2011 Jul 6.
Reproductive changes have been observed in painted turtles 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 involved in reproduction are affected. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an orphan receptor that is activated by environmental contaminants. AHR mRNA was measured in turtles exposed to soil collected from a contaminated site. Adult turtles were trapped from the study site (Moody Pond, MP) or a reference site and exposed to laboratory environments containing soil from either site. The red-eared slider was used to assess neonatal exposure to soil and water from the sites. The environmental exposures occurred over a 13-month period. Juveniles showed an age-dependent increase in brain AHR1. Juvenile turtles exposed to the MP environment had elevated gonadal AHR1. Adult turtles exposed to the MP environment showed significantly decreased brain AHR2. The painted turtle AHR is the first complete reptile AHR cDNA sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of the painted turtle AHR showed that it clusters with other AHR2s. Partial AHR1 and partial AHR2 cDNA sequences were cloned from the red-eared slider. MEME analysis identified 18 motifs in the turtle AHRs, showing high conservation between motifs that overlapped functional regions in both AHR isoforms.
在美国马萨诸塞州科德角的一个已知污染地点，人们观察到了有绘龟的生殖变化。我们假设这些变化是由暴露于内分泌干扰化合物引起的，并且涉及生殖的基因受到了影响。芳香烃受体（AHR）是一种孤儿受体，可被环境污染物激活。在暴露于从污染地点采集的土壤的海龟中测量了 AHR mRNA。成年海龟是从研究地点（穆迪池塘，MP）或参考地点捕获的，并暴露于含有来自任一地点的土壤的实验室环境中。红耳滑龟被用于评估来自这些地点的土壤和水对新生儿的暴露。环境暴露持续了 13 个月。幼龟的大脑 AHR1 随着年龄的增长而增加。暴露于 MP 环境的幼龟的性腺 AHR1 升高。暴露于 MP 环境的成年海龟的大脑 AHR2 显著减少。绘龟 AHR 是第一个完整的爬行动物 AHR cDNA 序列。绘龟 AHR 的系统发育分析表明，它与其他 AHR2 聚类。从红耳滑龟克隆了部分 AHR1 和部分 AHR2 cDNA 序列。MEME 分析鉴定出海龟 AHR 中的 18 个基序，显示出重叠两种 AHR 同工型功能区域的基序之间的高度保守性。
