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Oestrogens are key regulators in sexual differentiation and development in higher vertebrates. P450 aromatase (P450arom) is the steroidogenic enzyme responsible for the synthesis of oestrogens from aromatisable androgens. Effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on steroidogenic enzyme gene expression have received little attention so far, yet it is potentially a major pathway for sexual disruption. In this 14-day study the effects of exogenous 17β-oestradiol (E2) at environmentally relevant concentrations were assessed on gene expression of P450aromB in the gonad and brain of maturing male and female fathead minnows (FHM). Exposure to E2 resulted in an oestrogenic response as shown by a dose-dependent induction of plasma vitellogenin (VTG) in female and male fish and a dose-dependent inhibition of testis growth. There was an effect of exposure to E2 on P450aromB mRNA expression in the gonads; E2 up-regulated P450aromB mRNA expression in the testis and ovary in a dose-response manner after 14 days of exposure. In male brain, P450aromB mRNA concentrations were significantly reduced in fish exposed to 100 and 320 ng E2/l on day 4, but on day 14 were elevated in males exposed to both 32 and 100 ng E2/l. No effects of E2 on P450aromB mRNA expression occurred in the brain of females. The results of this study show that concentrations of E2 found in the environment can have disruptive effects on key steroidogenic enzyme pathways that control sexual development in fish. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

P450 17α-hydroxylase,17,20-lyase (P450c17) is a key steroidogenic enzyme in the production of androgens and, therefore, is also indispensable for the production of oestrogens (that are produced from the aromatisation of androgens). In this study, P450c17 cDNA was cloned from the ovary of the fathead minnow (FHM) and its gene expression was examined in the gonads and brains of male and female FHM at different stages of gonadal development with a view to developing an understanding of its involvement in the reproductive physiology in this species. The FHM-P450c17 cDNA sequence cloned was 1812 bp in length, with an open reading frame of 1554 nucleotides encoding a protein of 518 amino acids. Amino acid identity of FHM-P450c17 with P450c17s in other animals was up to 81.8% in other teleosts (channel catfish), 62% in elasmobranches (spiny dogfish), 64% in birds (chicken), and up to 48.8% in mammals (human). FHM-P450c17 gene expression occurred in the ovary, testis, and also in the brain (both male and female) at all stages of sexual development studied. Expression in the brain was at least 30-fold lower than in the gonads, but consistent in all fish life stages studied. In the testis, FHM-P450c17 gene expression was negatively correlated with gonadal development, but there was no obvious association between P450c17 gene expression and sexual development in the ovary, or brain (in both males and females). The results from this study demonstrate the expression of P450c17 in the brain for the first time in fish. Enzymatic studies are now needed to investigate the possible role of P450c17 in neurosteroid production in teleosts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]