E-MTAB-10509
RNA-seq of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) liver slice culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene and ethynylestradiol
Polar cod, a key fish species in the arctic marine foodweb is vulnerable to effects of pollution from offshore petroleum related activities in the Arctic and sub-arctic region. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses to in Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) liver slice culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the presence or absence of physiological levels of ethynylestradiol (EE2). BaP is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), also found in crude oil contaminants. PAHs such as BaP are among the most toxic compounds of crude oil.   Precision-cut liver slice cultures from five female polar cod (n = 5/ group, paired design) were exposed to BaP alone (10 µM), or in combination with low concentrations of EE2 (5 nM), to mimic physiological estradiol levels in early vitellogenic female fish. Transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) was performed after 72 h exposure in culture. The results provide a global view of transcriptome responses to BaP, EE2 and their mixture. In the mixture exposure, BaP resulted attenuation of EE2 stimulated gene expression (anti-estrogenic effects). The results from this ex vivo experiment suggest that pollutants that activate the Ahr pathway such as the PAH compound BaP can result in anti-estrogenic effects that may lead to endocrine disruption in polar cod.
Polar cod, a key fish species in the arctic marine foodweb is vulnerable to effects of pollution from offshore petroleum related activities in the Arctic and sub-arctic region. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses to in Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) liver slice culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the presence or absence of physiological levels of ethynylestradiol (EE2). BaP is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), also found in crude oil contaminants. PAHs such as BaP are among the most toxic compounds of crude oil.   Precision-cut liver slice cultures from five female polar cod (n = 5/ group, paired design) were exposed to BaP alone (10 µM), or in combination with low concentrations of EE2 (5 nM), to mimic physiological estradiol levels in early vitellogenic female fish. Transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) was performed after 72 h exposure in culture. The results provide a global view of transcriptome responses to BaP, EE2 and their mixture. In the mixture exposure, BaP resulted attenuation of EE2 stimulated gene expression (anti-estrogenic effects). The results from this ex vivo experiment suggest that pollutants that activate the Ahr pathway such as the PAH compound BaP can result in anti-estrogenic effects that may lead to endocrine disruption in polar cod.