Project description:The use of dispersants can be an effective way to deal with acute oil spills to limit environmental damage, however very little is known about whether chemically dispersed oil have the same toxic effect on marine organisms as mechanically dispersed oil. We exposed Atlantic cod larvae to chemically and mechanically dispersed oil for four days during the first-feeding stage of development, and collected larvae at 14 days post hatch for transcriptional analysis. A genome-wide microarray was used to screen for effects and to assess whether molecular responses to chemically and mechanically dispersed oil were similar, given the same exposure to oil (droplet distribution and concentration) with and without the addition of a chemical dispersant (Dasic NS).
Project description:Phytoplankton and bacteria form the base of marine ecosystems and their interactions drive global biogeochemical cycles. The effect of bacteria and bacteria-produced compounds on diatoms range from synergistic to pathogenic and can affect the physiology and transcriptional patterns of the interacting diatom. Here, we investigate physiological and transcriptional changes in the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana induced by extracellular metabolites of a known antagonistic bacterium Croceibacter atlanticus. Mono-cultures of C. atlanticus released compounds that inhibited diatom cell division and elicited a distinctive phenotype of enlarged cells with multiple plastids and nuclei, similar to what was observed when the diatom was co-cultured with the live bacteria. The extracellular C. atlanticus metabolites induced transcriptional changes in diatom pathways that include recognition and signaling pathways, cell cycle regulation, carbohydrate and amino acid production, as well as cell wall stability. Phenotypic analysis showed a disruption in the diatom cell cycle progression and an increase in both intra- and extracellular carbohydrates in diatom cultures after bacterial exudate treatment. The transcriptional changes and corresponding phenotypes suggest that extracellular bacterial metabolites, produced independently of direct bacterial-diatom interaction, may modulate diatom metabolism in ways that support bacterial growth.
Project description:We isolate the cultivable microbiome of a diatom and show that different bacteria have commensal, antagonistic, or synergistic effects on the diatom. One synergistic bacterium enhances growth of the diatom by production of auxin, a phytohormone. The diatom and its synergistic bacterium appear to use auxin and tryptophan as signaling molecules that drive nutrient exchange. Detection of auxin molecules and biosynthesis gene transcripts in the Pacific Ocean suggests that these interactions are widespread in marine ecosystems.
Project description:Capelin (Mallotus villosus) is one of the important fish species in the arctic marine foodweb that could be vulnerable to contaminant exposure from offshore petroleum related activities. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses in capelin liver slice culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). BaP is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which is among the most toxic compounds found in crude oil. Ex vivo liver slices culture was performed under 10 µM BaP exposure for 72 h and transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) analysis was performed to characterize de novo transcriptome of the liver and identify genes responding to BaP exposure.
Project description:There is accumulating evidence that interfering with the basic aging mechanisms can enhance healthy longevity. Many cellular processes contribute to aging and are referred to as “hallmarks of aging”; by presumption, interventional/therapeutic strategies targeting on multiple ageing hallmarks could be more effective to delay ageing than targeting on one hallmark. While the health-promoting qualities of marine oils have been extensively studied, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Lipid extracts from Antarctic krill are rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid/EPA and docosahexaenoic acid/DHA), choline, and astaxanthin. Here, we investigated whether krill oil promotes healthy aging in the small roundworm C. elegans. We show that krill oil rewires distinct gene expression programs that contribute to attenuate several aging hallmarks, including oxidative stress, proteotoxic stress, senescence, genomic instability, and mitochondrial dysfunction. In a C. elegans model of Parkinson´s disease, krill oil protects dopaminergic neurons from aging-related degeneration, decreases alpha synuclein aggregation, and improves dopamine-dependent behavior and cognition. Mechanistically, krill oil increases neuronal resilience through temporal transcriptome rewiring to promote anti-oxidative stress and inflammation via healthspan regulating transcription factors such as SNK-1. However, also krill oil promotes DA neuron survival through regulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal functions via PBO-2 and RIM-1. Collectively, krill oil rewires global gene expression programs and promotes healthy aging via abrogating multiple ageing hallmarks, shedding light on further pre-clinical and clinical explorations.
Project description:Long rough dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) is an important flatfish fish species in the north Atlantic arctic and sub-arctic marine foodweb that could be vulnerable to contaminant exposure from offshore petroleum related activities. The study was conducted to map transcriptome responses in long rough dab precision cut liver slice (PCLS) culture exposed to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). BaP is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which is among the most toxic compounds found in crude oil. PCLS culture was performed under 10 µM BaP exposure for 72 h and transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) analysis was performed to characterize de novo transcriptome of the liver and identify genes responding to BaP exposure.