Gao Yao, Yang Chenhao, Gao Huihui, Wang Liqing, Yang Changming, Ji Hong, Dong Wuzi
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Chenggu County, Wenhua Road, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, 723200, China.
Reprod Fertil Dev. 2019 Jan;31(2):261-271. doi: 10.1071/RD18107.
The aim of this study was to characterise the molecular structure of the oestrogen receptor ERα and to evaluate the effect of bisphenol A (BPA) on ERα expression during sexual development of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus). The ERα cDNA of A. davidianus includes an open reading frame of 1755bp (encoding 584 amino acids), a 219-bp 5' untranslated region (UTR) and a 611-bp 3'UTR. A polyadenylation signal was not found in the 3'UTR. Amino acid sequence analysis showed high homology between ERα of A. davidianus and that of other amphibians, such as Andrias japonicas (99.66% identity) and Rana rugose (81.06% identity). In 3-year-old A. davidianus, highest ERα expression was observed in the liver and gonads. During different developmental stages in A. davidianus (from 1 to 3 years of age), ERα expression in the testes increased gradually. ERα was localised in the epithelial cells of seminiferous lobules and in interstitial cells. ERα-positive cells were more abundant in the interstitial tissue during testicular development. ERα was located in the nucleus of oocytes during ovary development. We found that the sex of 6-month-old A. davidianus larvae could not be distinguished anatomically. The sex ratio did not change after larvae were treated with 10μM BPA for 1 month. However, BPA treatment reduced bodyweight and ERα expression in the gonads in male larvae.
