Evidence of endocrine disruption in the subantarctic fish Patagonotothen tessellata (Perciformes, Nototheniidae): Validation and field survey in beagle Channel using vitellogenin gene expression in males.

FERREIRA, M.F.; GENOVESE, G; FERNANDEZ D; LO NOSTRO, FABIANA

Montpellier

Congreso; 14th International Congress on the Biology of Fish (ICBF); 2020

ICBF

Introduction :Aquatic biota is increasingly being exposed to chemical pollutants as a result of anthropogenic activities. In this context, the use of biomarkers atmolecular and cellular levels represents a sensitive early warning tool for biological effect measurement in environmental quality assessment. In fish, theabnormal expression of vitellogenin (VTG) in the liver of males has become a commonly accepted biomarker of exposure to xenoestrogens. Sincemultiple VTG genes have been identified in teleost fish and their response towards estrogens vary between species, we assessed and characterize VTGgenes response of Patagonotothen tessellata in a laboratory experiment. In addition, we conduct field biomonitoring over 3 years in Beagle Channel(Argentina). Sampling was carried in Tierra del Fuego National Park (reference site) and Ushuaia Bay (UB), a region threatened by increasing levels ofpollution from coastal urban areas. Males of P. tessellata were i.p. injected with estradiol (10ug/g) for 3 or 21 days. Experimental results from qPCR indicate that vtgAb gene is not only more inducible but also more sensitive than vtgAa and vtgC types. After 3 days of treatment, the induction of vtgAb was 293 and 1166 times higher than the vtgAa and vtgC respectively.The 21 days treatment revealed the same pattern between genes although vtgAblevels were lower than those observed after 3 days treatment. VtgAb expression was more than 20 times higher in fish from UB than those sampled in thereference site. This represents the first study to assess endocrine disruption in fish from this sub Antarctic region.