IBYME   02675
INSTITUTO DE BIOLOGIA Y MEDICINA EXPERIMENTAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Vitellogenin detection in Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia Alligatoridae) A tool to assess environmental estrogen exposure in wildlife
Autor/es:
FLORENCIA REY; JORGE G. RAMOS; CORA STOKER; LEONARDO E. BUSSMANN; ENRIQUE H. LUQUE; MÓNICA MUÑOZ-DE-TORO
Revista:
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY
Referencias:
Año: 2006 vol. 176 p. 243 - 251
ISSN:
0174-1578
Resumen:
Environmental pollution with endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) has
adverse effects on the ecosystem's health. Caiman latirostris are
widely distributed in South American aquatic ecosystems. Caimans have
physiological and ecological characteristics that make them
particularly vulnerable to EDCs exposure and suitable candidate as a
sentinel species. Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a yolk pre-cursor protein
synthesized by the liver of non-mammalian vertebrates and induced in
response to estrogen. Purified plasma Vtg from caimans injected with
estradiol-17beta (E(2)) was used to generate a polyclonal anti-body.
Anti-body specificity was assessed using Western blot. The antiserum
was also effective in detecting turtle Vtg, exhibiting high
cross-reactivity with Vtg from Phrynops hilarii and Trachemys scripta
dorbigni. We developed a specific and highly sensitive ELISA for caiman
Vtg. This method has a detection limit of 0.1 ng/ml of plasma. The
ELISA did not detect Vtg in plasma of non-induced male caimans.
Induction of Vtg in male caimans was evaluated in response to one or
two (7 days apart) doses of E(2). Due to its high sensitivity, ELISA
allows to measure the small increases in plasma Vtg after exposure to
exogenous estrogen. A priming effect was observed following the second
E(2) dose, with a tenfold increase in circulating Vtg. Hepatic
synthesis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The results presented
herein suggest that detection of plasma Vtg in male caimans might
become a valuable tool in biomonitoring xenoestrogen exposure in a
polluted environment.