title: Availability of in vitro vitellogenin assay for screening of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities of environmental chemicals.
abstract: Vitellogenin (VTG) protein, VTG mRNA, other egg yolk proteins, vitelline envelope proteins and their mRNAs are produced in the liver of oviparous species by stimulation of endogenous estrogen and exogenous estrogenic chemicals. The VTG assay based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been widely used for many fish species to screen estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities of chemicals and sewage effluents using immature fish and/or male fish. In order to reduce the number of fish for screening of estrogenicity and anti-estrogenicity of chemicals, primary cultured fish hepatocytes can be used. In fact, primary cultured hepatocytes have been successfully used for the detection of estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activities of environmental chemicals in selected OECD fish species, e.g., medaka (Oryzias latipes) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchys mykiss) together with other fish species such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), carp (Cyprinus carpio), bream (Abramis brama), Carassius auratus, silver eel (Anguilla anguilla L.), and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctanus). In terms of hepatocyte assays relating to other taxa, these include frogs such as Xenopus laevis and the common green frog (Rana esculenta), chickens (Gallus domesticus) and herring gulls (Larus argentatus). VTG mRNA measurement by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction has also been successfully applied in the primary cultured hepatocytes of various species.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Natural Sciences, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan. taisen@nibb.ac.jp
authors.forename: Taisen
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: Fumi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Irie
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Urushitani
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tooi
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawashima
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Norrgren
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D046091:Charadriiformes; D002645:Chickens; D003370:Coturnix; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D004967:Estrogens / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D004967:Estrogens; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014819:Vitellogenins