Mugilid Fish Are Sentinels of Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in Coastal and Estuarine Environments
Maren Ortiz-Zarragoitia,
Cristina Bizarro,
Iratxe Rojo-Bartolomé,
Oihane Diaz de Cerio,
Miren P. Cajaraville,
Ibon Cancio
Affiliations
Maren Ortiz-Zarragoitia
Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Plentzia Marine Station (PIE-UPV/EHU) and Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48080 Bilbao PO Box 644, Basque Country, Spain
Cristina Bizarro
Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Plentzia Marine Station (PIE-UPV/EHU) and Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48080 Bilbao PO Box 644, Basque Country, Spain
Iratxe Rojo-Bartolomé
Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Plentzia Marine Station (PIE-UPV/EHU) and Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48080 Bilbao PO Box 644, Basque Country, Spain
Oihane Diaz de Cerio
Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Plentzia Marine Station (PIE-UPV/EHU) and Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48080 Bilbao PO Box 644, Basque Country, Spain
Miren P. Cajaraville
Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Plentzia Marine Station (PIE-UPV/EHU) and Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48080 Bilbao PO Box 644, Basque Country, Spain
Ibon Cancio
Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Plentzia Marine Station (PIE-UPV/EHU) and Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), E-48080 Bilbao PO Box 644, Basque Country, Spain
Effects on fish reproduction can result from a variety of toxicity mechanisms first operating at the molecular level. Notably, the presence in the environment of some compounds termed endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can cause adverse effects on reproduction by interfering with the endocrine system. In some cases, exposure to EDCs leads to the animal feminization and male fish may develop oocytes in testis (intersex condition). Mugilid fish are well suited sentinel organisms to study the effects of reproductive EDCs in the monitoring of estuarine/marine environments. Up-regulation of aromatases and vitellogenins in males and juveniles and the presence of intersex individuals have been described in a wide array of mullet species worldwide. There is a need to develop new molecular markers to identify early feminization responses and intersex condition in fish populations, studying mechanisms that regulate gonad differentiation under exposure to xenoestrogens. Interestingly, an electrophoresis of gonad RNA, shows a strong expression of 5S rRNA in oocytes, indicating the potential of 5S rRNA and its regulating proteins to become useful molecular makers of oocyte presence in testis. Therefore, the use of these oocyte markers to sex and identify intersex mullets could constitute powerful molecular biomarkers to assess xenoestrogenicity in field conditions.
