Identification of reproduction-specific genes associated with maturation and estrogen exposure in a marine bivalve Mytilus edulis

While it is established that vertebrate-like steroids, particularly estrogens (estradiol, estrone) and androgens (testosterone), are present in various tissues of molluscs, it is still unclear what role these play in reproductive endocrinology in such organisms. This is despite the significant commercial shellfishery interest in several bivalve species and their decline.The differentially expressed mRNAs isolated provide evidence that mussels may be impacted by exogenous estrogen exposure