The levels of albumin mRNA in Xenopus laevis liver were measured at various times after injection of estradiol using two different methods involving hybridization of cloned albumin cDNA to total liver RNA. The absolute levels of albumin mRNA fell by more than 95% during the first 4 days following estrogen treatment, then slowly returned to normal levels over the following 12 days. Albumin synth...

Endocrine disrupting chemicals can potentially alter the reproductive physiology of fishes. To test this hypothesis, serum was collected from common carp (Cyprinus carpio) at five riverine locations in Minnesota. Male fish collected from an effluent channel below the St. Paul metropolitan sewage treatment plant had significantly elevated serum egg protein (vitellogenin) concentrations and signi...

The major chicken vitellogenin gene (VTGII) has previously been cloned and sequenced. We now report the isolation of genomic clones that encompass a minor chicken vitellogenin gene (VTGIII) which is also expressed in the liver in response to estradiol. Our analysis reveals that a pseudogene for VTGII (psi VTGII) lies 1,426 base pairs upstream of this VTGIII gene. A reevaluation of published seq...

........................................................ 4 ABBREVIATIONS................................................ 6 PAPERS IN THIS THESIS...................................... 7 INTRODUCTION................................................. 8 Teleost reproduction...................................... 8 Oocyte growth.............................................. 12 Vitellogenin...............

Adult Mytilus edulis were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of 17β-estradiol in seawater for 10 days. Exposure was performed to assess effects on vitellogenin mRNA expression during early gametogenesis stages. The results show an increase in VTG expression, in contrast with previous experiments where no statistically significant change in the expression of VTG in ripe mussels w...