Evidence for resistance to benzo[a]pyrene and 3,4,3′4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl in a chronically polluted Fundulus heteroclitus population

Halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are major environmental contaminants. Fish species that are chronically exposed to these compounds can develop resistance to their toxic effects. In all fish species studied to date, toxicant resistance has been accompanied by decreased inducibility of the xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A). CYP1A induction is mediated through the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR). Although these compounds mediate their effects through this pathway, there have been resistant populations in which one chemical class cannot induce CYP1A expression (HAHs) while the other (PAHs) can. Resistance to PAHs was examined in a HAH-resistant population of Fundulus heteroclitus collected from a site contaminated with both compound classes (Newark Bay, NJ). Fish were injected intraperitoneally with the HAH 3,4,3′,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P, a PAH) or vehicle and sacrificed after 2 (B[a]P) or 5 days (PCB77, vehicle). We found no significant increase in CYP1A mRNA levels in resistant Newark Bay F. heteroclitus treated with either B[a]P or PCB77, while there was a 3.9 fold (PCB77) and 4.2 fold (B[a]P) increase in CYP1A mRNA in Flax fish relative to controls. AHR labeling studies revealed significantly (P<0.05) lower levels of hepatic AHR in Newark fish (1770±1693.2 DPM) relative to Flax fish (6082.5±1709.9 DPM). Overall, these data suggest Newark F. heteroclitus are resistant to both PAHs and HAHs at the level of CYP1A mRNA, which might be mediated, in part, though lower expression of AHR. We are currently studying the promoter sequence to determine its role in chemical resistance.