Cloning of multiple ERα mRNA variants in killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus), and differential expression by tissue type, stage of reproduction, and estrogen exposure in fish from polluted and unpolluted environments.

ABSTRACT: To test the hypothesis that alternative splicing could be an adaptive mechanism for populations subject to multi-generational estrogenic exposures, we compared estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) splicing variants in two populations of killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus): one resident in an estrogenic polluted environment (New Bedford Harbor, NBH, MA, USA) and one from a relatively uncontaminated reference site (Scorton Creek, SC, MA, USA). In total we identified 19 ERα variants, each with deletions of one or more coding exons. Four of the variants with potential functional relevance were analyzed by qPCR to test for population differences in expression by tissue type, site, sex, seasonal reproductive status and estrogen treatment. Significantly, a 5'-truncated short form variant (ERαS) was highly

SUBMITTER: Cotter KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4300264 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature