Ecotoxicogenomics to Support Ecological Risk Assessment: A Case Study with Bisphenol A in Fish

摘要

Effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on ovarian transcript profiles as well as targeted end points with endocrine/ reproductive relevance were examined in two fish species, a fathead minnow (Pimephaks promelas) and zebrafish {Danio 1 rerio), exposed in parallel using matched experimental designs. Four days of waterbome exposure to 10 fig BPA/L caused significant viteHogenin induction in both species. However, zebrafish were less sensitive to effects on hepatic gene expression and steroid production than fathead minnow and the magnitude of vitellogenin induction was more modest (ie., 3-fold compared to 13000-fold in fathead minnow). The concentration-response at the ovarian transcriptome level was nonmonotonic and violated assumptions mat underlie proposed methods for estimating hazard thresholds from transcriptomic results. However, die nonmonotonic profile was consistent among species and there were nominal similarities in the functions associated with the differentially expressed genes, suggesting potential activation of common pathway perturbation motifs in both species. Overall, the results provide an effective case study for considering the potential application of ecotoxicogenomics to ecological risk assessments and provide novel comparative data regarding effects of BPA in fish.