{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,3]],"date-time":"2026-10-03T19:49:08Z","timestamp":1791056948258,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"American Chemical Society (ACS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,12,29]],"date-time":"2017-12-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1514505600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":4306,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,7,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Persistent organic pollutants are environmental contaminants that, because of their lipophilic properties and long half-lives, bioaccumulate within aquatic food webs and often reach high concentrations in marine mammals, such as harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Exposure to these contaminants has been associated with developmental abnormalities, immunotoxicity, and reproductive impairment in marine mammals and other high-trophic-level wildlife, mediated via a disruption of endocrine processes. The highly conserved thyroid hormones (THs) represent one vulnerable endocrine end point that is critical for metabolism, growth, and development in vertebrates. We characterized the relationship between contaminants and specific TH receptor (TR ) gene expression in skin\/blubber biopsy samples, as well as serum THs, from free-ranging harbor seal pups (n = 39) in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington State, USA. We observed a contaminant-related increase in blubber TR-\u03b1 gene expression [total polychlorinated biphenyls (\u2211PCBs); r = 0.679; p &amp;lt; 0.001] and a concomitant decrease in circulating total thyroxine concentrations (\u2211PCBs; r = \u22120.711; p &amp;lt; 0.001). Consistent with results observed in carefully controlled laboratory and captive feeding studies, our findings suggest that the TH system in harbor seals is highly sensitive to disruption by environmental contaminants. Such a disruption not only may lead to adverse effects on growth and development but also could have important ramifications for lipid metabolism and energetics in marine mammals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1289\/ehp.8661","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2006,3,16]],"date-time":"2006-03-16T13:23:05Z","timestamp":1142515385000},"page":"1024-1031","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":123,"title":["PCB-Related Alteration of Thyroid Hormones and Thyroid Hormone Receptor\nGene Expression in Free-Ranging Harbor Seals (\n                    <i>Phoca vitulina<\/i>\n                    )"],"prefix":"10.1021","volume":"114","author":[{"given":"Maki","family":"Tabuchi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nik","family":"Veldhoen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Neil","family":"Dangerfield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Steven","family":"Jeffries","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tacoma, Washington, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Caren C.","family":"Helbing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter S.","family":"Ross","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"316","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2006,3,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"207","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.nu.12.070192.001231","article-title":"Cellular and molecular aspects of adipose tissue development","volume":"12","author":"Ailhaud","year":"1992","journal-title":"Annu Rev Nutr"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tem.2004.03.008","article-title":"Selective activation of thyroid hormone signaling pathways by GC-1: a new\napproach to controlling cholesterol and body weight","volume":"15","author":"Baxter","year":"2004","journal-title":"Trends Endocrino 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Toxicol Chem"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.7589\/0090-3558-29.1.103","article-title":"Histological investigations on the thyroid glands of marine mammals (Phoca vitulina, Phocoena phocoena) and the possible implications of marine pollution","volume":"29","author":"Schumacher","year":"1993","journal-title":"J Wildl Dis"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit42","first-page":"227","article-title":"Cloning and characterization of the ribosomal protein L8 gene from Xenopus laevis","volume":"1217","author":"Shi","year":"1994","journal-title":"Biochem Biophys Acta"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2844","DOI":"10.1002\/etc.5620191132","article-title":"Contaminant-related disruption of vitamin A dynamics in free-ranging harbor\nseal (Phoca vitulina) pups from British Columbia, Canada and Washington State, USA","volume":"19","author":"Simms","year":"2000","journal-title":"Environ Toxicol Chem"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1862","DOI":"10.1139\/z00-129","article-title":"Developmental changes in circulatory vitamin A (retinol) and its transport\nproteins in free-ranging harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) pups","volume":"78","author":"Simms","year":"2000","journal-title":"Can J Zool"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1080\/009841001459397","article-title":"Relationships between plasma levels of organochlorines, retinol and thyroid\nhormones from polar bears (Ursus maritimus) at Svalbard","volume":"62","author":"Skaare","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Toxicol Environ Health"},{"key":"2026081311033910100_micit46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1016\/S0076-6879(80)65048-4","article-title":"Recovery of DNA from gels","volume":"65","author":"Smith","year":"1980","journal-title":"Methods 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