DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF AN EFFECTIVE DETECTION METHOD FOR FISHPLASMA VITELLOGENIN INDUCED BY ENVIRONMENTAL ESTROGENS

Vitellogenin is a protein induced by estrogens, including environmenta l chemicals with estrogenic activity. To measure the effects of enviro nmental estogens, we developed an effective and rapid one-step method of detecting and purifying fish plasma vitellogenin using a high-perfo rmance anion-exchange chromatography column, POROS-HQ, Vitellogenin in a plasma of estradiol-treated male fish (mummichog and red sea bream) was eluted as a single peak with a retention time of 10 minutes from the column, which gives an almost pure preparation as assessed by SDS- PAGE. The lowest detectable amount of vitellogenin was 2 mu g per assa y. The method was used to analyze the plasma vitellogenin level of aqu acultured red sea breams caught in August, when the spawning season is over, and usually no vitellogenin is detected in either females or ma les, physiologically. However, the data showed that in addition to a f ew females, same male fish synthesized vitellogenin, suggesting that s ome chemicals or unknown factors with estrogenic activity have induced fish in the ocean to produce vitellogenin.