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Molecular Characterization of Japanese Sillago Vitellogenin and Changes in Its Expression Levels on Exposure to 17β-Estradiol and 4-tert-Octylphenol

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Abstract

We cloned a full-length cDNA encoding vitellogenin (VTG) from a marine teleost, the Japanese sillago Sillago japonica. The cloned sillago VTG contained signal peptide, lipovitellin heavy chain, phosvitin, lipovitellin light chain, and β′-component in the order from the N-terminus. An exposure to 17β-estradiol significantly increased the levels of plasma VTG, but not hepatic VTG mRNA in males. Neither plasma VTG nor hepatic VTG mRNA levels were affected by the exposure to 4-tert-octylphenol. Hepatic VTG mRNA levels in males increased at 1 day after intraperitoneal administration of 17β-estradiol but decreased in the subsequent 5 days. However, plasma VTG levels remained high for 5 days after administration, suggesting that the accumulation period of plasma VTG is longer than that of hepatic VTG mRNA in males. Therefore, VTG mRNA may be a suitable indicator of temporal exposure to estrogenic chemicals in the environment, whereas plasma VTG is useful to detect consecutive exposure.

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Acknowledgments

We express sincere thanks to Dr. M. Nakaya, The University of Tokyo, for performing N-terminal amino acid sequencing. We also thank Mr. R. Harano and Ms. Y. Yanagawa, The University of Tokyo, for their help in quantitative real-time PCR and SDS-PAGE. This study was partly supported by a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan. G.K. was supported by Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists.

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  1. Sung Ho Yoon

    Present address: Marine Bio & Advanced Material Cluster Center, Kangnung National University, Gangneung, Gangwon, South Korea, 210-702

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Laboratory, Marine Ecology Research Institute, Onjuku, Chiba, 299-5105, Japan

    Sung Ho Yoon, Yasuo Itoh & Masataka Ohta

  2. Laboratory of Aquatic Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Gen Kaneko, Makiko Nakaniwa & Shugo Watabe

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  1. Sung Ho Yoon
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  2. Yasuo Itoh
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Correspondence to Shugo Watabe.

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Yoon, S.H., Itoh, Y., Kaneko, G. et al. Molecular Characterization of Japanese Sillago Vitellogenin and Changes in Its Expression Levels on Exposure to 17β-Estradiol and 4-tert-Octylphenol. Mar Biotechnol 10, 19–30 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-007-9055-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-007-9055-8

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