Abstract
A pilot study was initiated to provide the first information on the recombinant receptor-reporter gene bioassay (hormonal) activity of freshwaters in Victoria. The project involved the collection of water samples from six stations on the main stem of the Yarra River in and upstream of the city of Melbourne, Australia in April 2008 and April 2009. Samples were prepared for measurement of sample toxicity using a modified photobacterium test, genotoxicity using a high-throughput luminescent umu test method, and human and medaka estrogen receptor (hERα and medERα), retinoic acid receptor (RAR), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and thyroid receptor (TR) assay activity using the relevant yeast-based bioassays. Most samples were only weakly or moderately toxic, with no relationship observed to location along the river. The data for 2008 suggests that at that time the Yarra River samples contained few compounds that were, in and of themselves, genotoxic. No estrogenic or thyroid, and <1 ng/L retinoic acid receptor activity was observed. AhR activity increased with progressed downstream. AhR activity was higher in April 2009 than at the same time in 2008, perhaps as a result of extensive bush fires in the catchment in the months immediately prior to sampling. About 24% of the total AhR activity observed was associated with suspended solids.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allinson G, Allinson M, Salzman S, Shiraishi F, Myers J, Theodoropoulos T, Hermon K, Wightwick A (2007) Hormones in treated sewage effluent. Final report. A report prepared for the Victorian Water Trust. Department of Primary Industries, Queenscliff, Australia, 65 pp. Available on-line: http://www.ourwater.vic.gov.au/programs/victorian-water-trust/publications. Last accessed 4 January 2010
Allinson G, Allinson M, Shiraishi F, Salzman SA, Myers JH, Hermon KM, Theodoropoulos T (2008) Androgenic activity of effluent from forty-five municipal waste water treatment plants in Victoria, Australia. WIT Trans Ecol Environ 110:293–304
Haga Y, Suzuki T, Takeuchi T (2002) Retinoic acid isomers produce malformations in post embryonic development of the Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. Zool Sci 19:1105–1112
Inoue D, Nakama K, Matsui H, Sei K, Ike Michihiko (2009) Detection of agonistic activities against five human nuclear receptors in river environments of Japan using a yeast two-hybrid assay. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 82:399–404
Inoue D, Nakama K, Sawada K, Watanabe T, Takagi M, Sei K, Yang M, Hirotsuji J, Hu J, Nishikawa J, Nakanishi T, Ike M (2010) Contamination with retinoic acid receptor agonists in two rivers in the Kinki region of Japan. Water Res 44:2409–2418
JEA (1998) Draft manual for surveying exogenous endocrine disrupting chemicals (water, sediment, aquatic organisms). Japan Environment Agency, Water Quality Bureau, Water Quality Management Division, Tokyo, Japan (in Japanese). Available online: http://www.env.go.jp/chemi/end/manual/water.html. Last accessed 3 August 2009
Jobling S, Nolan M, Tyler CR, Brighty G, Sumpter JP (1998) Widespread sexual disruption in wild fish. Environ Sci Technol 32:2498–2506
Jugan ML, Oziol L, Bimbot M, Huteau V, Tamisier-Karolak S, Blondeau JP, Lévi Y (2009) In vitro assessment of thyroid and estrogenic endocrine disruptors in wastewater treatment plants, rivers and drinking water supplies in the greater Paris area (France). Sci Total Environ 407:3579–3587
Kamata R, Shiraishi F, Nishikawa J, Yonemoto J, Shiraishi H (2008) Screening and detection of the in vitro agonistic activity of the retinoic acid receptor. Toxicol In Vitro 22:1050–1061
Kamata R, Shiraishi F, Nakajima D, Takigami H, Shiraishi H (2009) Mono-hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls are potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands in recombinant yeast cells. Toxicol In Vitro 23:736–743
Kinnberg K (2003) Evaluation of in vitro assays for determination of estrogenic activity in the environment (No. 43). Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Danish Ministry of the Environment. Available on-line at: http://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2003/87-7972-922-3/pdf/87-7972-923-1.pdf
Leusch FL, De Jager C, Levi Y, Lim R, Puijker L, Sacher F, Tremblay LA, Wilson VS, Chapman HF (2010) Comparison of five in vitro bioassays to measure estrogenic activity in environmental waters. Environ Sci Technol 44:3853–3860
Miller CA (1999) A human aryl hydrocarbon receptor signalling pathway constructed in yeast displays additive responses to ligand mixtures. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 160:297–303
Mispagel C, Shiraishi F, Allinson M, Allinson G (2005) Estrogenic activity of treated municipal effluent from seven sewage treatment plants in Victoria, Australia. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 74:853–856
Mispagel C, Allinson G, Allinson M, Shiraishi F, Nishikawa M, Moore MR (2009) Estrogenic activity of discharges from twelve waste water treatment plants in southern Australia. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 56:631–637
Nakajima D, Kageyama S, Shiraishi F, Kamata R, Nagahora S, Takahashi S, Ogane J, Ohtani Y, Horiuchi T, Watanabe M, Hamane T, Yamane K, Haraguchi K, Jinya D, Kadokami K, Goto S, Tatarazako N, Shiraishi H, Suzuki N (2007) Applicability of the luminescent umu test to the monitoring of genotoxic agents in river water. Kankyo Kagaku 17:453–460 (in Japanese)
Nishikawa J-I, Saito K, Goto J, Dakeyama F, Matsuo M, Nishihara T (1999) New screening methods for chemicals with hormonal activities using interaction of nuclear hormone receptor with coactivator. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 154:76–83
PPWRRHS (2007) Port Philip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy. Melbourne Water and Port Philip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Melbourne, Australia. Available online: http://www.melbournewater.com.au. Last accessed 15 June 2011
Rawson CA, Tremblay LA, Warne MStJ, Ying G, Kookana R, Laginestra E, Chapman JC, Lim RP (2009) Bioactivity of POPs and their effects in mosquitofish in Sydney Olympic Park, Australia. Sci Total Environ 407:3721–3730
Shiraishi F, Sasaki Y, Shiraishi H (1999) Modification of the bioluminescent bacterial genotoxicity test and application to genotoxicity monitoring of waste landfill leachate. Kankyo Kagaku 9:329–338 (in Japanese)
Shiraishi F, Shiraishi H, Nishikawa J, Nishihara T, Morita M (2000) Development of a simple operational estrogenicity assay system using the yeast two-hybrid system. Kankyo Kagaku 10:57–64 (in Japanese)
Shiraishi F, Okumura T, Nomachi M, Serizawa S, Nishikawa J, Edmonds JS, Shiraishi H, Morita M (2003) Estrogenic and thyroid hormone activity of a series of hydroxyl-polychlorinated biphenyls. Chemosphere 52:33–42
Streck G (2009) Chemical and biological analysis of estrogenic, progestagenic and androgenic steroids in the environment. TrAC Trends Anal Chem 28:635–652
Xiong KM, Peterson RE, Heideman W (2008) Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated down-regulation of sox9b causes jaw malformation in zebrafish embryos. Mol Pharmacol 74:1544–1553
Acknowledgments
The research was primarily supported by the Victorian Water Trust (Project #33V-4000), and in part by the Department of Primary Industries (Project #08160 and 06889), the Centre for Aquatic Pollution, Identification and Management (CAPIM) at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Water, and the Australian Research Council (Discovery Grant #DP0343410). We thank Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. for providing the test bacterium strain, S. typhimurium TL210.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Allinson, M., Shiraishi, F., Kamata, R. et al. A Pilot Study of the Water Quality of the Yarra River, Victoria, Australia, Using In Vitro Techniques. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 87, 591–596 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0394-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-011-0394-9