The gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) like molecule in prosobranch Patella caerulea: potential biomarker of endocrine distrupting compounds in marine environment

In different species of mollusks has been reported that the endocrine disruptors compounds (EDCs) interfere with the endocrine system mimicking the action of sex steroid hormones. Prosobranchs are usually used as a reliable bioindicator to evaluate the EDCs exposure. In this paper we evaluate the effects of xenoestrogens 4-n-nonylphenol (NP) in the prosobranch gastropod Patella caerulea that exhibits as reproductive strategy a protandrous hermafroditism. We isolated a partial sequence of a GnRH like molecule from the gonads of Patella caerulea. The deduced amino acid sequence is highly homologous to that reported for the Lottia gigantea GnRH. The Patella caerulea GnRH (pGnRH) mRNA expression is wide spread in both male and female germinal lines during gametogenesis. In this paper we candidate the pGnRH as a novel biomarker to early asses the EDCs presence and monitor the short and long-term impact on Patella caerulea community structure