| Summary: | 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 contaminantrelated increase in blubber TR-α gene expression [total polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCBs); r = 0.679; p < 0.001] and a concomitant decrease in circulating total thyroxine concentrations (ΣPCBs; r = –0.711; p < 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. Key words: endocrine disruption, gene expression, marine mammal, PCBs, persistent organic pollutant, polychlorinated biphenyls, POP, seal, thyroid, thyroid hormone receptor. Environ Health Perspect 114:1024–1031 (2006). doi:10.1289/ehp.8661 available via
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