Project description:Sea spray aerosols (SSAs) have profound effects on our climate and ecosystems. They also contain microbiota and biogenic molecules which could affect human health. Yet the exposure and effects of SSAs on human health remain poorly studied. Here, we exposed human lung cancer cells to extracts of a natural sea spray aerosol collected at the seashore in Belgium, a laboratory-generated SSA, the marine algal toxin homoyessotoxin and a chemical inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. We observed significant increased expression of genes related to the mTOR pathway and Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) after exposure to homoyessotoxin and the laboratory-generated SSA. In contrast, we observed a significant decrease in gene expression in the mTOR pathway and of PCSK9 after exposure to the natural SSA and the mTOR inhibitor, suggesting induction of apoptosis. Our results indicate that marine biogenics in SSAs interact with PCSK9 and the mTOR pathway and can be used in new potential pharmaceutical applications. Overall, our results provide a substantial molecular evidence base for potential beneficial health effects at environmentally relevant concentrations of natural SSAs.
Project description:The experiment compared flounder from the North Sea and the Baltic sea and their reactions on being exposed to water of different salinities
Project description:To determine the effects on the intestine gene expression of pathogen exposure to Enteromyxum leei. One fish group was exposed to E. leei-contaminated effluent (recipient group = R) . R fish (n= 66, average weight = 134 g) were placed in two replicated 200L fibre-glass tanks which were set to receive exclusively the effluent water from another tank containing 24 infected (donors = D; average weight = 127.3 g; prevalence of infection = 54%) gilthead sea bream. The D to R fish ratio was 0.8. Other 66 naïve fish were allocated in two replicated tanks (control group = CTRL) under the same conditions, but without receiving contaminated effluent. Over the course of the study, day length followed natural changes and water was heated in order to keep temperature always above 18ºC, the range was 18-23 ºC. Water was 5 µm-filtered and UV irradiated, and salinity was 37.5‰. Water flow was 10L/min and oxygen content of outlet water remained higher than 85%saturation. All fish were fed daily a commercial dry pellet diet at about 1% of body weight. Disease signs and daily mortalities were recorded throughout the experiments. The parasitic status of dead fish was checked by microscopic examination of fresh intestinal scrapings. Fish were sampled after 113 days post exposure (p.e.). Feeding was stopped one day prior to the sampling to ensure that the digestive tract was empty. Head kidney and posterior intestine were rapidly excised, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -80 °C until RNA extraction and analysis. Keywords: Treated/Untreated, confinement, cortisol, stress response, time course, microarray
Project description:Gilthead sea bream fed plant-protein based diets with either fish oil or vegetable oil as the most iportant source of dietary lipids were experimentally exposed to the intestinal parasite Enteromyxum leei by water effluent. A specific gilthead sea bream oligo-microarray was used to determine the intestine transcriptomic response.
Project description:IL10-/-DC pulsed for 6h with 0, SEA, LPS, or co-pulsed with SEA/LPS together to compare changes in LPS-induced gene expression mediated by SEA (Schistosome soluble egg antigen) Keywords: other