壬基酚是一种典型的环境雌激素和持久性有机污染物，可以对海洋生物的生殖发育产生影响，成为目前毒理学研究领域的热点。芳香烃受体（ER）和雌激素受体（AhR）通路在动物外源物质代谢和内分泌调节中发挥着重要作用，当有外源配体（如环境污染物）存在时，二者可交叉影响，进而影响动物生长、生殖和发育等一系列过程。研究表明，壬基酚可作为配体与ER和AhR结合，通过调节两条通路下游基因的表达，干扰动物的性腺发育和生殖内分泌。我们根据以往的研究结果，提出AhR和ER通路之间的相互作用可能介导了壬基酚对动物的生殖内分泌干扰这一假说。为验证上述观点，拟以海洋无脊椎动物——翡翠贻贝为研究对象，运用分子生物学、细胞生物学和生态毒理学技术手段，对翡翠贻贝芳香烃受体和雌激素受体通路相关基因进行克隆、表达分析和在壬基酚暴露下的功能验证，旨在从ER与AhR相互作用角度评价壬基酚对海洋无脊椎动物的毒性机制。

Nonylphenol is a typical environmental estrogen and persistent organic pollutant, and can affect the functions of reproductive, nervous and immune system of animals. Both AhR and ER are involved in xenobiotic metabolism and endocrine regulation of animals. Crosstalk has been observed between AhR and ER. AhR and ER may interact on each other through a number of different mechanisms due to existence of different contaminants. Nonylphenol may act as ligand of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and estrogen receptor (ER), and modulates response genes of the two signaling pathways. According to the results of previous studies, we hypothesized that crosstalk of AhR and ER may affect the reproductive endocrine disruption effects of nonylphenol on marine invertebrates. How did AhR and ER signaling pathways involved in the toxic effects of nonylohenol was still unknown. The green mussel Perna viridis is commercially important seafood and is widely distributed in coastal waters of China. It has frequently been used as a biomonitor for contaminants in the marine environment. The aim of this project is to investigate the toxic effects and molecular mechanism of nonylphenol on the reproduction of P. viridis by using molecular biology, cytobiology and ecotoxicology technology. In this study, we are going to clone and analyze AhR, ER and cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes of P. viridis. The expression characteristics of AhR, ER, CYP and vitellogenin (Vtg) genes will be studied after nonylphenol challenge. AhR and ER gene of P. viridis will be silenced by RNAi technology to investigate crosstalk mechanism among AhR and ER in response to nonylphenol. Results of this study will shed light on understanding toxic effects of nonylphenol and provide important evidence to illustrate mechanisms on how nonylphenol affects marine invertebrate.