High quality draft genome sequence of sp. nov., isolated from a frozen freshwater pond.

Strain S3-2, isolated from sediment of a frozen freshwater pond, shares 99% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity with strains of the genus . Strain S3-2 is a facultative anaerobe that lacks the ability to produce violacein but shows antibiotic resistance, psychrotolerance, incomplete denitrification, and fermentation. The draft genome of strain S3-2 has a size of ~5.

Severe malformations of eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) fry are induced by maternal estrogenic exposure during early embryogenesis.

Pregnant eelpout were exposed via the water to known endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) to clarify if EDCs could be causing the increased eelpout fry malformation frequencies observed in coastal areas receiving high anthropogenic input. The presence of a teratogenic window for estrogen-induced malformations was also investigated by starting the exposure at different times during eelpout pregnancy. Both 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) (17.

17β-estradiol causes abnormal development in embryos of the viviparous eelpout.

Elevated frequencies of malformations among the offspring of Baltic eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) have been observed in aquatic environments receiving high anthropogenic input suggesting that manmade chemicals could be the causative agent. However, causal links between exposure to chemicals and abnormal development have never been confirmed in laboratory experiments. The purpose of this study was to investigate if exposure to 17β-estradiol (E2) causes abnormal development in larvae of the viviparous eelpout.

Abnormalities in eelpout Zoarces viviparus upon chemical exposure.

Elevated frequencies of abnormal embryos in female eelpout Zoarces viviparus have been demonstrated in Danish, Swedish and German monitoring programmes at certain geographic locations with high levels of anthropogenic input. Pollutants present in areas with high malformation frequencies were selected and tested in a controlled laboratory experiment for their potential to induce abnormalities among eelpout embryos upon injection into pregnant eelpout. Tributyltin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, pyrene, nonylphenol, 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromophenylether and heptadecafluorooctanesulfonic acid were tested, either individually or combined.

Vitellogenin as biomarker for estrogenicity in flounder Platichthys flesus in the field and exposed to 17α-ethinylestradiol via food and water in the laboratory.

The ability of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) to elevate vitellogenin levels were investigated in male flounder Platichthys flesus and vitellogenin concentrations in flounders from the Danish coastal environment were determined. Male flounders were exposed to 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) via food or water. Average vitellogenin concentrations in the control fish ranged between 25 and 100 ng mL(-)(1).

Evidence of small modulation of ethinylestradiol induced effects by concurrent exposure to trenbolone in male eelpout Zoarces viviparus.

The interaction of xenobiotics is common in aquatic ecosystems; therefore, we wanted to evaluate if trenbolone (TB) modulates the effects of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Male eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) were exposed to 5 ng L(-1) EE2 continuously for 19 d (EE2-C) or discontinuously (11 d, EE2-D) alone or in combination with low (50 ng L(-1), TBL) or high (500 ng L(-1), TBH) concentrations of TB (19 d). Exposure to EE2 caused reduced gonadosomatic index, increased plasma vitellogenin concentrations, up-regulated vtg and era mRNA expression and severe alterations in gonadal histology.

Bezafibrate, a lipid-lowering pharmaceutical, as a potential endocrine disruptor in male zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Fibrates are pharmaceuticals commonly used to control hypercholesterolemia in humans and they are frequently detected in the freshwater environment. Since cholesterol is the precursor of all steroid hormones, it is suspected that low cholesterol levels will impact steroidogenesis. However, the effect of fibrates on fish reproductive endocrinology is not clear; therefore the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of bezafibrate (BZF) on gonadal steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis of zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Effects of exposure to the xenoestrogen octylphenol and subsequent transfer to clean water on liver and gonad ultrastructure during early development of Zoarces viviparus embryos.

Female eelpouts (Zoarces viviparus L.) are exposed during early pregnancy to nominal concentrations of 100 microg/L of 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) or 0.5 microg/L of 17beta-estradiol (E2).

Effects of 17beta-trenbolone in male eelpout Zoarces viviparus exposed to ethinylestradiol.

To evaluate the interaction between 17beta-trenbolone (TB) and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), male eelpout, Zoarces viviparus, was exposed for 21 days (April to May 2008) to 5 ng l(-1) EE2 and 5 or 20 ng l(-1) TB, separately or in combination in a flow-through SW system. The effects on hepatosomatic (HSI) and gonadosomatic index (GSI), plasma vitellogenin (Vtg) concentration, gonadal histology, hepatic and testicular Vtg mRNA and estrogen receptor (ERalpha) mRNA expression were investigated. No effects on HSI were observed.

Gonadal alterations in male eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) exposed to ethinylestradiol and trenbolone separately or in combination.

To evaluate the interaction between 17β-trenbolone (TB) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in relevant environmental concentrations, male eelpout Zoarces viviparus were exposed in a flow-through seawater-system for 21 days to 5 ng l⁻¹ EE2, 5 ng l⁻¹ or 20 ng l⁻¹ TB or to combinations of both compounds. The effects on hepatosomatic index (HSI), gonadosomatic index (GSI) and gonadal histology were studied. No significant effects on HSI were observed in any treatment; in contrast, decreased GSI was observed in males exposed to EE2 alone or in combination with TB compared to controls (p<0.

Vitellogenin as a biomarker for estrogenic effects in brown trout, Salmo trutta: laboratory and field investigations.

The sensitivity of juvenile brown trout towards estrogenic chemicals (17beta-estradiol [E2], estrone [E1], 17alpha-ethinylestradiol [EE2], 4-tert-octylphenol [OP], and n-butylparaben [BP]) was tested in laboratory experiments with plasma and liver vitellogenin concentrations as endpoints. Vitellogenin concentrations were also assessed in juvenile brown trout collected in streams affected by agricultural runoff and discharges from scattered houses in the open land. In the laboratory, juvenile brown trout were exposed to the chemicals in flow-through tanks for 7 to 12 d and concentration-response relationships for the induction of vitellogenin synthesis were obtained.

Effects of prochloraz and ethinylestradiol on sexual development in Rana temporaria.

A wide range of environmental xenobiotics that mimic hormones (endocrine-disrupting chemicals) may cause alterations in sexual development or reproductive function in aquatic organisms such as amphibians when exposed during early sensitive stages. We exposed tadpoles of the Common frog, Rana temporaria, from hatch to metamorphosis, to two different endocrine disruptors, the synthetic estrogen 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol and the fungicide prochloraz. The object of the study was to assess the effects of these two compounds on the sexual development of the tadpoles by investigating sex ratio, gonadal development, sex steroid concentrations and vitellogenin induction.

Sex hormone concentrations and gonad histology in brown trout (Salmo trutta) exposed to 17beta-estradiol and bisphenol A.

The impact of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and bisphenol A (BPA) on steroid hormone levels and gonad development in brown trout (Salmo trutta) was determined. Exposure took place from 0 to 63 days post-fertilisation (dpf) and gonad development was followed till 400 dpf. The onset of xenoestrogen metabolism was examined by measurements of whole body concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) and its conjugation product bisphenol A glucuronic acid (BPAGA).

Orally administered bisphenol a in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): estrogenicity, metabolism, and retention.

The estrogenic effect of orally administered bisphenol A (BPA) was investigated in a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) test system. Bisphenol A was administered orally to sexually immature rainbow trout every second day for up to 12 d in doses between 1.8 and 258 mg/kg every second day (/2d).

Effect of waterborne exposure to 4-tert-octylphenol and 17beta-estradiol on smoltification and downstream migration in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar.

Groups of Atlantic salmon parr (November, Exp. 1) or pre-smolts (March, Exp. 2) were exposed to estradiol-17beta (E2 conc.

Gonad histology and vitellogenin concentrations in brown trout (Salmo trutta) from Danish streams impacted by sewage effluent.

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) collected from a number of Danish streams impacted by sewage effluent were examined for alterations to gonadal development and induction of vitellogenin synthesis. Among fish collected in June/July 2000/2001 and November 2002 higher levels of plasma vitellogenin were found in males from six streams impacted by sewage effluent compared to males from their respective reference sites. A direct non-competitive ELISA was developed for brown trout vitellogenin in order to perform the vitellogenin measurements.

Gonadal morphogenesis and sex differentiation in intraovarian embryos of the viviparous fish Zoarces viviparus (Teleostei, Perciformes, Zoarcidae): a histological and ultrastructural study.

It is essential to know the timing and process of normal gonadal differentiation and development in the specific species being investigated in order to evaluate the effect of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals on these processes. In the present study gonadal sex differentiation and development were investigated in embryos of a viviparous species of marine fish, the eelpout, Zoarces viviparus, during their intraovarian development (early September to January) using light and electron microscopy. In both sexes of the embryos at the time of hatching (September 20) the initially undifferentiated paired bilobed gonad contains primordial germ cells.

Effects of the model androgen methyltestosterone on vitellogenin in male and female eelpout, Zoarces viviparus (L).

In the present experiment male and female eelpout, Zoarces viviparus were exposed to different doses of the model androgen 17alpha-methyltestosterone (MT) and the effects on the plasma level of vitellogenin and the gonadosomatic index were investigated. In females exposed to different doses of MT (nominal concentrations 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 ng/L) in the ambient seawater, the concentrations of the circulating yolk-precursor protein vitellogenin (vtg) were shown to decrease in all groups but only significantly in the MT-100 group when compared to controls. No significant effects could be observed on the GSI during early vitellogenesis (April/May).

Oral single pulse exposure of flounder Platichthys flesus to 4-tert-octylphenol: Relations between tissue levels and estrogenic effects.

The accumulation of 4-tert-octylphenol and the associated estrogenic effects were studied after a single pulse exposure to flounder Platichthys flesus. 4-tert-octylphenol was administered orally in a single dose of 50 mg kg(-1) and tissue (liver, muscle and testis) and plasma concentrations of 4-tert-octylphenol as well as plasma vitellogenin were measured 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 48, 72, 144 and 216 h after administration of the dose. Concentrations of 4-tert-octylphenol in plasma and tissues were determined by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS).

Short-term exposure to low concentrations of the synthetic androgen methyltestosterone affects vitellogenin and steroid levels in adult male zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Short-term effects of methyltestosterone (MT) on the endocrine system of adult male zebrafish (Danio rerio) were examined. Males were exposed to 0, 4.5, 6.

Intersex in wild roach (Rutilus rutilus) from Danish sewage effluent-receiving streams.

Roach (Rutilus rutilus) from Danish streams that receive discharges of domestic sewage effluent were examined for the presence of alterations to gonadal development. In male roach, intersex was observed at a prevalence of 4.5-5% at reference sites and 6.

Upregulation of estrogen receptor alpha and vitellogenin in eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) by waterborne exposure to 4-tert-octylphenol and 17beta-estradiol.

The mechanisms of action of an estrogenic chemical have been examined in a viviparous fish the eelpout (Zoarces viviparus), by identification of an upregulated estrogenic pathway--the induction of hepatic estrogen receptor mRNA, hepatic estrogen binding activity and plasma vitellogenin. A relative quantitative RT-PCR assay has been established to measure hepatic estrogen receptor alpha (ER) mRNA levels in eelpout. Assay conditions were optimised using control and induced samples to ascertain its applicability in the actual working range of ER mRNA concentrations.

Estrogenicity of butylparaben in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss exposed via food and water.

The estrogenic effect of butylparaben was investigated in a rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss test system. Butylparaben was administered orally to sexually immature rainbow trout every second day for up to 10 days in doses between 4 and 74 mgkg(-1)2d(-1) and in the water at 35 and 201 microgl(-1) for 12 days. Plasma vitellogenin was measured before and during the exposures and the concentrations of butylparaben in liver and muscle were determined at the end of experiments.

Anti-estrogen prevents xenoestrogen-induced testicular pathology of eelpout (Zoarces viviparus).

Estrogenic alkylphenols have been shown to affect the reproductive system of male fish causing induction of vitellogenin synthesis and altered testis structure. However, it is still unknown whether the histopathological effects on the testes is mediated by the estrogen receptor or if it represent general toxicopathological effects. In the present study, the effects of different concentrations of the estrogenic chemical 4-tert-octylphenol on vitellogenin (Vtg) synthesis and testicular structure were investigated in the eelpout Zoarces viviparus during spermatogenesis.

Estrogenic octylphenol affects seminal fluid production and its biochemical composition of eelpout (Zoarces viviparus).

Estrogenic chemicals such as alkylphenols (APs) have been shown to disrupt the reproductive system of male fish. In the present study, the effects of the estrogenic chemical octylphenol (100 microg g(-1)) and 17 beta-estradiol on the semen production and the biochemical composition of the seminal fluid of the viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) were investigated at the time of spawning. After 10 days of octylphenol or estrogen treatment, vitellogenin (Vtg) synthesis was induced as indicated by increased plasma vitellogenin concentration.