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Lei DQ, Huang GY, Qiu SQ, Li XP, Wang CS, Fang GZ, Xie L, Ying GG. Exposure to estrone disrupts the endocrine system of western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2023; 257:106457. [PMID: 36848693 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Estrone (E1) is one of the predominant natural estrogens detected in aquatic environments, yet little is known about its effects on the endocrine system in fish. In this study, the sex ratio, secondary sexual characteristics, gonadal histology, and transcriptional levels of genes closely related to sex differentiation and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-liver (HPGL) axis were assessed in western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) after a full life-cycle exposure to E1 (0, 25.4, 143, 740, and 4300 ng/L) for 119 days. The results showed that exposure to 4300 ng/L of E1 resulted in 100% female and inhibited the growth of females. Exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of E1 (143 and 740 ng/L) led to obvious feminization of skeletons and anal fins in males. Exposure to 740 and 4300 ng/L of E1 increased the proportion of mature spermatocytes in females, and exposure to 143 and 740 ng/L decreased the proportion of mature spermatocytes in males. Moreover, the transcripts of genes related to sex differentiation and HPGL axis were changed in the E1-exposed adult fish and embryos inside females. This study has provided valuable data on the endocrine disruption effects of E1 at environmentally relevant concentrations in G. affinis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Qiao Lei
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guo-Yong Huang
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Shu-Qing Qiu
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiao-Pei Li
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chen-Si Wang
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Gui-Zhen Fang
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Lingtian Xie
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guang-Guo Ying
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
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2
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Impact of Chronic Multi-Generational Exposure to an Environmentally Relevant Atrazine Concentration on Testicular Development and Function in Mice. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040648. [PMID: 36831314 PMCID: PMC9954248 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
A common herbicide, atrazine, is associated with poor health. Atrazine acts as an endocrine disruptor at supra-environmental levels. Little research, however, has been conducted regarding chronic exposure to environmental atrazine concentrations across generations. This study utilized comprehensive endpoint measures to investigate the effects of chronic exposure to a conservative atrazine concentration (0.02 ng/mL), measured in Australian waterways, on male mice fertility across two generations. Mice were exposed through the maternal line, from the pre-conception period and through the F1 and F2 generations until three or six months of age. Atrazine did not impact sperm function, testicular morphology nor germ cell parameters but did alter the expression of steroidogenic genes in the F1, down-regulating the expression of Cyp17a1 (Cytochrome P450 family 17, subfamily A member 1; p = 0.0008) and Ddx4 (DEAD-box helicase 4; p = 0.007), and up-regulating the expression of Star (Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein; p = 0.017). In the F2, atrazine induced up-regulation in the expression of Star (p = 0.016). The current study demonstrates that chronic exposure to an environmentally relevant atrazine concentration perturbs testicular steroid-associated gene expression that varies across generations. Future studies through the paternal and combined parental lineages should be undertaken to further elucidate the multigenerational effects of atrazine on male fertility.
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3
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Brennan J, Henke A, Gale R, Nicks D, Tillitt D. Comparison of Two Estrogen Chemically Activated Luciferase Expression Cell Bioassays to Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Quantifying Estrone in Water Samples. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:333-339. [PMID: 36541329 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX) cell bioassays are popular tools for assessing endocrine activity of chemicals such as certain environmental contaminants. Although activity equivalents can be obtained from CALUX analysis, directly comparing these equivalents to those obtained from analytical chemistry methods can be problematic because of the complexity of endocrine active pathways. We explored the suitability of two estrogen CALUX bioassays (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-approved VM7Luc4E2 cell bioassay and the VM7LucERβc9 cell bioassay) for quantitation of estrogen. Quadrupole-time of flight ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) was selected as a comparative method. Regression analysis of measured estrone (E1) calibration samples showed all three methods to be highly predictive of nominal concentrations (p ≤ 7.5 × 10-51 ). Extracts of water sampled from laboratory dilutor tanks containing E1 at 0, 20, and 200 ng/L alone and in combination with atrazine were selected to test the quantitative capabilities of the CALUX assays. Process controls (0 and 100 ng E1/L) and a separate E1 standard (10 ng/ml, used to prepare the E1 process control) were also tested. Levels of E1 determined by LC/MS analysis and bioanalytical equivalents (ng E1/L) determined by CALUX analyses were comparable except in certain instances where the samples required dilution prior to CALUX analyses (e.g., the E1 process control and E1 standard). In those instances, measurements by CALUX were slightly but significantly decreased relative to LC/MS. Atrazine had no effect on the ability of either LC/MS or the CALUX bioassays to quantify E1. The present study illustrates the CALUX bioassays as successful in quantifying an estrogen in simple water samples and further characterizes their utility for screening. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:333-339. Published 2022. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Brennan
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri
- Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Abigail Henke
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri
- Biology Department, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Robert Gale
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Diane Nicks
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Donald Tillitt
- Columbia Environmental Research Center, US Geological Survey, Columbia, Missouri
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4
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Carriquiriborde P, Fernandino JI, López CG, Benito EDS, Gutierrez-Villagomez JM, Cristos D, Trudeau VL, Somoza GM. Atrazine alters early sexual development of the South American silverside, Odontesthes bonariensis. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2023; 254:106366. [PMID: 36459853 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2022.106366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Atrazine (ATZ) is a frequent contaminant in freshwater ecosystems within agricultural regions. The capacity of this herbicide to interfere with the vertebrate endocrine system is broadly recognized, but the mechanisms and responses usually differ among species. In this study, ATZ effects on hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis key genes expression and early gonadal development were evaluated in Odontesthes bonariensis larvae waterborne exposed during the gonadal differentiation period. Fish were treated to 0, 0.7, 7.0, and 70 µg ATZ/L at 25 °C from the 2nd to 6th week after hatching (wah), and a group was kept in clean water until the 12th wah. Parallelly, a group was submitted to 0.05 µg/L of ethinylestradiol (EE2) as a positive estrogenic control. From each treatment, eight larvae were sampled at 6 wah for gene expression analysis and twelve larvae at 12 wah for phenotypic sex histological determination. The expression of gnrh1, lhb, fshb, and cyp19a1b was assessed in the head, and the ones of amha, 11βhsd2, and cyp19a1a in the trunk. Fish growth was significantly higher in fish exposed to 7 and 70 µg ATZ/L in the 6 wah, but the effect vanished at the 12 wah. The expression of lhb was upregulated in both sex larvae exposed from 7 µg ATZ/L. However, a dimorphic effect was induced on cyp19a1a expression at 70 µg ATZ/L, up or downregulating mRNA transcription in males and females, respectively. Delayed ovarian development and increased number of testicular germ cells were histologically observed from 7 to 70 µg ATZ/L, respectively, and a sex inversion (genotypic male to phenotypic female) was found in one larva at 70 µg ATZ/L. The lhb expression was also upregulated by EE2, but the cyp19a1a expression was not affected, and a complete male-to-female reversal was induced. Further, EE2 upregulated gnrh1 in females and cyp19a1b in both sexes, but it did not alter any assessed gene in the trunk. In conclusion, ATZ disrupted HPG axis physiology and normal gonadal development in O. bonariensis larvae at environmentally relevant concentrations. The responses to ATZ only partially overlapped and were less active when compared to the model estrogenic compound EE2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Carriquiriborde
- Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente (CIM, UNLP-CONICET), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan Ignacio Fernandino
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías. UNSAM. Argentina
| | - Carina G López
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías. UNSAM. Argentina
| | - Eduardo de San Benito
- Centro de Investigaciones del Medioambiente (CIM, UNLP-CONICET), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Diego Cristos
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Centro de Investigación de Agroindustria (CIA-INTA), Castelar, Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Vance L Trudeau
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1S 6N5, Canada
| | - Gustavo M Somoza
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías. UNSAM. Argentina.
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5
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Walsh HL, Gordon SE, Sperry AJ, Kashiwagi M, Mullican J, Blazer VS. A case study: temporal trends of environmental stressors and reproductive health of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from a site in the Potomac River Watershed, Maryland, USA. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2022; 31:1536-1553. [PMID: 36454361 PMCID: PMC9729326 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-022-02605-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Decades of poor reproductive success and young-of-the-year survival, combined with adult mortality events, have led to a decline in the smallmouth bass (SMB; Micropterus dolomieu) population in sections of the Potomac River. Previous studies have identified numerous biologic and environmental stressors associated with negative effects on SMB health. To better understand the impact of these stressors, this study was conducted at the confluence of Antietam Creek and the Potomac River from 2013 to 2019 to identify temporal changes associated with SMB reproductive health. Surface water samples were collected and analyzed for over 300 organic contaminants, including pesticides, phytoestrogens, pharmaceuticals, hormones and total estrogenicity (E2Eq). Adult SMB were collected and sampled for multiple endpoints, including gene transcripts associated with reproduction (molecular), histopathology (cellular), and organosomatic indices (tissue). In males, biomarkers of estrogenic endocrine disruption, including testicular oocytes (TO) and plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) were assessed. Numerous agriculture-related contaminants or land use patterns were associated with gene transcript abundance in both male and female SMB. Positive associations between pesticides in the immediate catchment with TO severity and E2Eq with plasma Vtg in males were identified. In males, the prevalence of TO and detectable levels of plasma Vtg, liver vitellogenin transcripts (vtg) and testis vtg were high throughout the study. Peaks of complex mixtures of numerous contaminants occurred during the spring/early summer when spawning and early development occurs and to a lesser extent in fall/winter during recrudescence. Management practices to reduce exposure during these critical and sensitive periods may enhance reproductive health of these economically important sportfishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather L Walsh
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Leetown Research Laboratory, 11649 Leetown Rd., Kearneysville, WV, 25430, USA.
| | - Stephanie E Gordon
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Leetown Research Laboratory, 11649 Leetown Rd., Kearneysville, WV, 25430, USA
| | - Adam J Sperry
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Leetown Research Laboratory, 11649 Leetown Rd., Kearneysville, WV, 25430, USA
| | - Michael Kashiwagi
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Fishing and Boating Services, 10932 Putman Rd., Thurmont, MD, 21788, USA
| | - John Mullican
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Fishing and Boating Services, 20901 Fish Hatchery Rd., Hagerstown, MD, 21740, USA
| | - Vicki S Blazer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Leetown Research Laboratory, 11649 Leetown Rd., Kearneysville, WV, 25430, USA
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6
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Leet JK, Greer JB, Richter CA, Iwanowicz LR, Spinard E, McDonald J, Conway C, Gale RW, Tillitt DE, Hansen JD. Exposure to 17α-Ethinylestradiol Results in Differential Susceptibility of Largemouth Bass ( Micropterus salmoides) to Bacterial Infection. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14375-14386. [PMID: 36197672 PMCID: PMC9583602 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Disease outbreaks, skin lesions, mortality events, and reproductive abnormalities have been observed in wild populations of centrarchids. The presence of estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds (EEDCs) has been implicated as a potential causal factor for these effects. The effects of prior EEDC exposure on immune response were examined in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exposed to a potent synthetic estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol, EE2) at a low (EE2Low, 0.87 ng/L) or high (EE2High, 9.08 ng/L) dose for 4 weeks, followed by transfer to clean water and injection with an LD40 dose of the Gram-negative bacteria Edwardsiella piscicida. Unexpectedly, this prior exposure to EE2High significantly increased survivorship at 10 d post-infection compared to solvent control or EE2Low-exposed, infected fish. Both prior exposure and infection with E. piscicida led to significantly reduced hepatic glycogen levels, indicating a stress response resulting in depletion of energy stores. Additionally, pathway analysis for liver and spleen indicated differentially expressed genes associated with immunometabolic processes in the mock-injected EE2High treatment that could underlie the observed protective effect and metabolic shift in EE2High-infected fish. Our results demonstrate that exposure to a model EEDC alters metabolism and immune function in a fish species that is ecologically and economically important in North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica K. Leet
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental
Research Center, 4200
New Haven Road, Columbia, Missouri 65201, United
States
| | - Justin B. Greer
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research
Center, 6505 NE 65th Street, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Catherine A. Richter
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental
Research Center, 4200
New Haven Road, Columbia, Missouri 65201, United
States
| | - Luke R. Iwanowicz
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science
Center, 11649 Leetown
Road, Kearneysville, West
Virginia 25430, United
States
| | - Edward Spinard
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research
Center, 6505 NE 65th Street, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Jacquelyn McDonald
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research
Center, 6505 NE 65th Street, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Carla Conway
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research
Center, 6505 NE 65th Street, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Robert W. Gale
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental
Research Center, 4200
New Haven Road, Columbia, Missouri 65201, United
States
| | - Donald E. Tillitt
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental
Research Center, 4200
New Haven Road, Columbia, Missouri 65201, United
States
| | - John D. Hansen
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research
Center, 6505 NE 65th Street, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
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Soloperto S, Nihoul F, Olivier S, Poret A, Couteau J, Halm-Lemeille MP, Danger JM, Aroua S. Effects of 17α-Ethinylestradiol (EE2) exposure during early life development on the gonadotropic axis ontogenesis of the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 271:111260. [PMID: 35724955 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Exposure of young organisms to oestrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can elicit adverse effects, particularly on the reproductive function. In fish, as in other vertebrates, reproduction is controlled by the neuroendocrine gonadotropic axis, whose components are mainly regulated by sex steroids and may then be targets for EDCs. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a xenoestrogen exposure on the ontogenesis of the gonadotropic axis in European sea bass. After exposure of hatching larvae for 8 days to 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) (0.5 nM and 50 nM), gene expression for kisspeptins (kiss1, kiss2), gonadotropin-releasing hormones (gnrh1, gnrh2, gnrh3), gonadotropin beta subunits (lhβ and fshβ) and brain type aromatase (cyp19a1b) were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Our results demonstrate that EE2 strongly stimulated the expression of brain type aromatase (cyp19a1b) in sea bass larvae. In addition, EE2 exposure also affected the mRNA levels of kiss1, gnrh1 and gnrh3 by inducing a downregulation of these genes during the early developmental stages, while no effect was seen in gnrh2, lhβ and fshβ. These results reinforce the idea that the larval development is a sensitive critical period in regard to endocrine disruption and that the gonadotropic axis in the developing sea bass is sensitive to xenoestrogen exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Soloperto
- UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO, Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 Scale, Le Havre, France
| | - Florent Nihoul
- UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO, Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 Scale, Le Havre, France
| | - Stéphanie Olivier
- UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO, Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 Scale, Le Havre, France
| | - Agnès Poret
- UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO, Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 Scale, Le Havre, France
| | | | | | - Jean-Michel Danger
- UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO, Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 Scale, Le Havre, France
| | - Salima Aroua
- UMR-I 02 INERIS-URCA-ULH SEBIO, Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 Scale, Le Havre, France.
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8
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Integrated Genomic and Bioinformatics Approaches to Identify Molecular Links between Endocrine Disruptors and Adverse Outcomes. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19010574. [PMID: 35010832 PMCID: PMC8744944 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) has been linked with several adverse outcomes. In this review, we examine EDCs that are pervasive in the environment and are of concern in the context of human, animal, and environmental health. We explore the consequences of EDC exposure on aquatic life, terrestrial animals, and humans. We focus on the exploitation of genomics technologies and in particular whole transcriptome sequencing. Genome-wide analyses using RNAseq provides snap shots of cellular, tissue and whole organism transcriptomes under normal physiological and EDC perturbed conditions. A global view of gene expression provides highly valuable information as it uncovers gene families or more specifically, pathways that are affected by EDC exposures, but also reveals those that are unaffected. Hypotheses about genes with unknown functions can also be formed by comparison of their expression levels with genes of known function. Risk assessment strategies leveraging genomic technologies and the development of toxicology databases are explored. Finally, we review how the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) has exploited this high throughput data to provide a framework for toxicology studies.
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