Bisphenol A Induces a Distinct Transcriptome Profile in the Male Fish of the Marine Medaka Oryzias javanicus

Abstract

While environmental concentration of bisphenol A (BPA) is ubiquitously detected in effluent and surface of freshwater, BPA has also been measured in coastal and marine ecosystems. To understand the effect of waterborne BPA on the transcriptome over time, male fish of the marine medaka Oryzias javanicus were exposed to 76 μg/L of BPA for 72 h. Time-course microarray study identified differentially expressed transcripts upon BPA exposure in the liver tissues in a time-dependent manner. The primary effect of BPA treatment appears to be significantly upregulated mRNA expression of lipid metabolism (e.g. fatty acid process, lipid/lipoprotein biosynthesis and transport, cholesterol regulation), while genes involved in diverse biochemical and physiological processes were downregulated. In particular, vertebrate immunity relevant genes showed strong downregulated patterns across time-courses. This study provides preliminary insights into the transcriptional response of marine medaka male fish to waterborne BPA exposure and suggests a basis for uncovering the mode of action particularly with respect to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as BPA.