Partial cloning of P450arom mRNA in the carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals” (EDCs) is suspected to be the cause for the increasing number of reproductive disorders in wildlife. A wide range of environmental pollutants can mimic steroid hormones causing adverse health effects in intact organisms or their progeny, secondary to changes in endocrine functions The synthesis of estrogens is dependent on the activity of the steroidogenic enzyme P450 aromatase (P450arom) that catalyses the conversion of C-19 androgens into C-18 estrogens in the ovary, testis, placenta, skin fibroblasts, adipose and nervous tissue. In this study P450 arom gene (CYP19B) from carp (Cyprinus carpio) was cloned in order to obtain an useful diagnostic tool to better investigate endocrine disruption in the aquatic environment. The sequence of previously isolated aromatase genes in several teleosts was used to identify conserved sequence motifs, which were then used to design degenerate and specific PCR primers. These primers allowed the isolation of the CYP19B gene from carp. The gene has high sequence identity to similar genes from other fish species, but has particular sequence which is unique to this species. Preliminary RT-PCR data on tissues obtained on known EDCs exposed carps show that this detection system has high sensitivity.