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2005 The Aquatic Research Consortium: Morphological, Physiological, Genomic, and Proteomic Responses to Environmental Stressors in Small Fish Models
FY 2005Abstract (Year 3)
Many estuaries suffer from chemical contamination and nutrient-overload due to rapidly increasing human coastal populations, urbanization, industrial effluents, and agricultural run-off. The detrimental effects of nutrient-stimulated hypoxia and contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) upon aquatic ecosystems have been well-documented. Therefore, studies elucidating "biomarker" responses of estuarine organisms to both hypoxia and PAHs are important for ecological risk assessment by allowing for more accurate and proactive decisions to be made regarding resource management. In addition to affecting estuarine ecosystem health, hypoxia (i.e., hypoxic-normoxic transitions such as ischemia reperfusion) and PAHs (i.e., carcinogens) also affect human health. Thus, the overall objective of the proposed research is to investigate the effects of hypoxia, PAHs, and hypoxia /PAH combinations in small fish models in order to increase our understanding of their environmental impacts and to provide greater insight into their mechanisms of action. The proposed research will be the third phase of Aquatic Research Consortium (ARC) funding, and will entail a collaborative and integrative effort between scientists at Texas State University (TSU) and the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) of The University of Southern Mississippi. The first two phases of ARC focused on the establishment of genomic and proteomic tools for investigation of stress responses in two small fish models, sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) and Xiphophorus spp. The third phase of this program will continue to build upon this theme by applying the experience and information gained during the previous two phases regarding the hypoxic response of sheepshead and Xiphophorus to the Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) model. A comprehensive medaka microarray, consisting of ~8,000 genes, will be developed to analyze global genomic responses to hypoxia and environmental contaminants. Concurrently, we will utilize proteomic technologies developed using the genetically well-characterized Xiphophorus fish model in comparison with similarly exposed medaka. Needed resources in the Xiphophorus aquaria fish model will be obtained to allow for application of the multigenic analytical power of this system to address environmental problems. Finally, the effects of hypoxia (both static and diurnal) and pyrene will be investigated in early life stages of medaka and sheepshead. For these studies, hypoxia — and pyrene (a common PAH contaminant) — induced changes in physiology, morphology, and gene /protein expression will be assessed in embryos and larvae. Thus, the proposed research will characterize species- and life stage-specific responses of fish to natural and anthropogenic stressors at the molecular, physiological, and organismal levels. This information will be integrated with results from the previous two ARC phases (including reproductive and immunological data) to estimate possible higher-level (i.e., population) effects of exposure to common environmental stressors.