Influence of temperature on cytochrome P450 1A in dab (Limanda limanda) from the Southern North Sea: Results from field surveys and a laboratory study

Mature specimens of male dab were collected from several stations in the southern North Sea, and the cytochrome P450 1A dependent 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity was measured with a microplate reader directly onboard the research vessel. During both surveys the highest levels of EROD activity were found at relatively clean off-shore stations with low bottom water temperatures due to stratification. Considerably lower EROD values were found along the more contaminated Dutch coast at stations with relatively high bottom water temperatures. The inverse relationship between water temperature and EROD activity was confirmed in a laboratory study, where dabs were acclimated to 8, 12 and 16 °C during a period of four weeks.