Toxic effects of bisphenol A on early life stages of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

The toxic effects of bisphenol A (BPA) in aquatic organisms have attracted global attention. However, few studies have investigated its effects at the gene transcription level. In this study, we measured the transcriptional response of a set of genes associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis following BPA exposure during the early life stage of Japanese medaka. Transcription of vitellogenin genes was induced in both sexes, indicating estrogenic disruption. However, changes in transcription of the steroid hormone receptor gene and steroidogenesis-regulating genes suggest that BPA also acts as an androgen receptor antagonist. BPA exposure also decreased the hatchability of medaka embryos and increased the growth of female larvae. These pronounced gender-specific effects observed in this study demonstrate that it is important to identify the sex of fish in the early life stage.