Gonadal differentiation and gene expression patterns in sentinel native fish populations: sensitive indicators of environmental pollutants in Alberta rivers and lakes

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There is growing concern that environmental contaminants with hormone-like activity adversely influence human health and wildlife. Environmentally persistent endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) mimic or block the effects of natural estrogens, androgens, and thyroid hormones, and are suspected of causing health defects in both humans and wildlife through disruption of the endocrine system. Direct exposure to EDCs may be through water, diet, and industrial or household products. There is a need to evaluate the risk of environmental effects of EDCs and development of effective and accurate methods to detect environmental contaminants, which are not removed by existing sewage treatment plants. Recent studies by Alberta Environment and our laboratories have provided alarming evidence for not only the presence of a broad range of pharmaceuticals, EDCs, and other organic contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluents and receiving rivers of Alberta, but also alteration of development and reproduction of fish in southern Alberta rivers. Our main objective is toconduct studies in collaboration and cooperation with Alberta Environment and Federal agencies (Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada) to assess the impact of environmental contaminants present in surface waters of southern Alberta rivers on fish population and reproductive health, and make a contribution to finding a solution to an emerging issue facing Canada. Specifically, we propose to exploit advanced techniques and novel approaches in molecular endocrinology and ecology to identify the mechanisms by which exposure to EDCs leads to reproductive impairment of field-based populations using endpoints ranging from hormone-activated pathways, hormone receptor levels, sexual development, cell proliferation, and receptor reporter systems. Our proposed studies, together with longer-term government monitoring, will identifyappropriate impact assessment strategies, and will assist development of policies that will affect sewage treatment plant upgrades, and disposal procedures for pharmaceuticals and chemicals to minimize environmental contamination and effects.