title: Vitellogenin expression in wild cyprinid Petroleuciscus esfahani as a biomarker of endocrine disruption along the Zayandeh Roud River, Iran.
abstract: Aquatic environments are the ultimate sink for most of anthropogenic pollutants. The Zayandeh Roud River is the most important river in the central Iranian Plateau, supplying water to a large population. In order to determine the potential occurrence and in vivo effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) with estrogenic or anti-androgenic properties we analyzed the wild populations of an extensively distributed endemic fish species, Petroleuciscus esfahani. For this purpose, specimens were caught from two sites upstream and two sites downstream of the expected major anthropogenic pollution sources. P. esfahani full-length cDNAs for vitellogenin (vtg), with 4177 base pairs (bp) encoding a 1339 amino acids (aa), and for β-actin (actb), with 1776 bp encoding a 375 aa, were amplified and cloned. Hepatic vtg mRNA expression levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Condition factor, gonadosomatic index and sex ratio were calculated and compared with vtg expression. Gonad histology was performed to study the possible presence of intersex condition. Detection of vtg transcripts in male individuals from the two downstream sampling sites supports the hypothesis of exposure to EDCs in these regions. Higher vtg expression in male individuals, together with reduced gonad size and condition factor, in specimens from the site located downstream of the major steel mill plant suggest a major endocrine disruption in this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan, Iran; Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), CSIC, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain. Electronic address: neda.gilannejad@alum.uca.es.
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gilannejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Salar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorafshan
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh Paykan
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Heyrati
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrollah Mahboobi
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Soofiani
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asadollah
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), CSIC, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain; Department of Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, University of Cadiz, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martos-Sitcha
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), CSIC, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prat
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), CSIC, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yúfera
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN), CSIC, 11519 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martínez-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000187:drug effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006066:Gonads / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D014819:Vitellogenins; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bioindicator; EDCs; Quantitative PCR; River ecosystem