Uptake of 4-nonylphenol and butylated hydroxytoluene in juvenile blue crabs, and expression of mRNA of genes encoding heat shock protein 90 and vitellogenin in response to different concentrations of 4-nonylphenol and butylated hydroxytoluene

Juvenile blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, were exposed to increasing concentrations of 4-nonylphenol and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Uptake was measured with GC/MS and relative mRNA expression of genes coding for heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) and vitellogenin (vtg) was measured using qPCR. These compounds were chosen based on contaminants detected in megalopae collected at multiple sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.