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RNA-seq analysis of seasonal and individual variation in blood transcriptomes of healthy captive bottlenose dolphins

ABSTRACT: Four captive bottlenose dolpins housed in Kona, Hawaii, were serially sampled at approximately monthly intervals over the course of one year, in order to establish baseline information on the content and variation of the dolphin blood transcriptome.

ORGANISM(S): Tursiops truncatus

PROVIDER: GSE78770 | GEO | 2016/09/10

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA313464

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:As apex predators, cetaceans are recognized as sentinels for the health of marine ecosystems. The ability to identify the impacts of anthropogenic contamination on the health of a species requires long term monitoring to establish baseline health parameters. This makes health measurements that can be sampled from free ranging animals highly desirable. In the current study, we investigate the utility of skin gene expression profiling to monitor the physiological, health, and contaminant exposure status in bottlenose dolphins. Remote integument biopsies were obtained from bottlenose dolphins at three locations in the northern Gulf of Mexico prior to oil exposure (May 2010) and during summer and winter of the two years (2010-2011) following their exposure to oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A bottlenose dolphin-specific oligonucleotide microarray was used to characterize the skin transcriptomes of 94 individuals from three genetically distinguishable populations in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana, and Mississippi Sound, Mississippi. Location did not significantly affect the transcriptome patterns of the dolphins included in the study. In contrast, season had a profound effect on gene expression, with nearly one-third of all genes on the array differing significantly in expression between winter and the warmer seasons (p<0.01, fold-change >1.5). Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that processes related to cell proliferation, motility and differentiation dominated the seasonal differences in expression, which likely reflects the differences in ambient temperature to which the skin is exposed, and possibly changes in blood flow. More subtle differences were seen between spring and summer transcriptomes (1.5% differentially expressed), with two presumed oil-exposed animals presenting gene expression profiles more similar to the summer (exposed) animals than the other spring animals. Xenobiotic pathway components also showed some seasonal trends, which may reflect crosstalk between xenobiotic pathways and those regulating corticoids, hormones, and cytokines. Seasonal effects have not previously been considered in studies assessing gene expression in cetaceans, but clearly must be taken into account when applying transcriptomic analyses to investigate their exposure or health status.

Project description:Urinary proteins provide valuable insights into renal health, with implications spanning human and domestic animal veterinary medical research. However, the field of marine mammal medicine lacks comprehensive studies on urine protein composition. This research aimed to fill this gap by 1) selecting an optimal search strategy that yields the highest number of protein families in the bottlenose dolphin urine based on post-translational modifications (PTMs), 2) describing the urine proteome of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Gulf of the Mexico, USA, considering sex (females vs. males), site (Barataria Bay, LA vs. Sarasota Bay, FL), and comparing with California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Ten urine samples (Barataria Bay, LA: N= 6; Sarasota Bay, FL: N=4) collected during 2023 catch-and-release heath assessment were proteolytically digested and analyzed using an UltiMate 3000 Nano LC and Fusion Lumos Orbitrap mass spectrometer. A 2-step search strategy, incorporating dehydroalanine formation and semi-trypsin on the list of unassigned spectra, significantly increased the number of identified protein families by an average of 6.2% compared to the 1-step strategy (P < 0.001, t = -8.32). The top 30 proteins in bottlenose dolphin urine were ranked according to an exponentially modified protein abundance index for comparison based on sex, site, and species. There were no significant differences in urine proteins between sexes or sites (padj > 0.05), although there was sperm contribution in two of the male bottlenose dolphin urine samples. Two putative antimicrobial proteins (cathelicidin and lysozyme) were identified and found to be abundant in bottlenose dolphin urine, similar to California sea lions. The study also identified 27 potential markers of acute kidney injury and 12 regulators of kidney stone formation. This study established a reference database of urinary proteins from bottlenose dolphins, aiding future research in monitoring and evaluating renal health in marine mammals.

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RNA-seq analysis of seasonal and individual variation in blood transcriptomes of healthy captive bottlenose dolphins

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