The Expression Patterns of Estrogen-responsive Genes by Bisphenol A in the Wild Medaka (Oryzias sinensis)

Gene expression levels of choriogenin, vitellogenin and estrogen receptor were determined using Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR technique after exposure to estrogenic chemical bisphenol A in the Korean wild medaka (Oryzias sinensis). These genes have been known to be induced in male test fish when the fish are exposed to estrogenic chemicals. Therefore they can be suggested as a possible biomarker of endocrine disruption in fish, however, relatively little has been known about these genes expression by estrogenic chemicals in Korean wild fish. Mature male Oryzias sinensis were treated with bisphenol A at nominal concentrations of 0.02, 0.2 and 2 mg/L for 6 days and total RNA was extracted from the livers of treated fish for RT-PCR. When the five biomarker genes were amplified by RT-PCR in the same condition, mRNA induction level of each gene was elevated with different sensitivities. Conclusively, the results of this work indicated that measurement of vitellogenin and choriogenin using RT-PCR is effective as a simple tool for the screening of estrogenic chemicals and suggested that O. sinensis would be a suitable model fish for the environmental risk assessment of potential endocrine disruptors.