Unraveling the estrogen receptor (er) genes in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) reveals expression differences between the two adult life stages but little impact from polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) load

Estrogen receptors (ers) not only are activated by hormones but also interact with many humanderived environmental contaminants. Here, we present evidence for four expressed er genes in Atlantic salmon cDNA two more ers (er alpha 2 and er beta 2) than previously published. To determine if er gene expression differs between two adult life-stages we sampled 20 adult salmon from the feeding phase in the Baltic Sea and during migration in the River Morrum, Sweden. Results show that all four er genes are present in the investigated tissues, except for er alpha 2 not appearing in the spleen. Overall, a profile analysis reveals the er alpha 1 gene to be the most highly expressed er gene in both female and male Baltic Sea salmon tissues, and also in female River Morrum salmon. In contrast, this gene has the lowest gene expression level of the four er genes in male salmon from the River Morrum. The er alpha 2 gene is expressed at the lowest levels in both female/male Baltic Sea salmon and in female River Morrum salmon. Statistical analyses indicate a significant and complex interaction where both sex and adult life stage can impact er gene expression. Regression analyses did not demonstrate any significant relationship between polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) body burden and er gene expression level, suggesting that accumulated pollutants from the Baltic Sea may be deactivated inside the salmon's lipid tissues and have limited impact on er activity. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of four er gene expression levels in two wild salmon populations from two different adult life stages where information about PCB load is also available. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.