Project description:To characterize the taxonomic and functional diversity of biofilms on plastics in marine environments, plastic pellets (PE and PS, ø 3mm) and wooden pellets (as organic control) were incubated at three stations: at the Baltic Sea coast in Heiligendamm (coast), in a dead branch of the river Warnow in Warnemünde (inlet), and in the Warnow estuary (estuary). After two weeks of incubation, all pellets were frozen for subsequent metagenome sequencing and metaproteomic analysis. Biofilm communities in the samples were compared on multiple levels: a) between the two plastic materials, b) between the individual incubation sites, and c) between the plastic materials and the wooden control. Using a semiquantitative approach, we established metaproteome profiles, which reflect the dominant taxonomic groups as well as abundant metabolic functions in the respective samples.
Project description:Vibrio species represent one of the most diverse genera of marine bacteria known for their ubiquitous presence in natural aquatic systems. Several members of this genus including Vibrio harveyi are receiving increasing attention lately because they are becoming a source of health problems, especially for some marine organisms widely used in sea food industry. To learn about adaptation changes triggered by V. harveyi during its long-term persistence at elevated temperatures, we studied adaptation of this marine bacterium in sea water microcosms at 30 oC that closely mimicks the upper limits of sea surface temperatures recorded around the globe.
Project description:The fitness and reproductive output of fishes can be affected by environmental disturbances. In this study, transcriptomics and label-free proteomics were combined to investigate Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) sampled from three different field locations within the Baltic Sea (Baltic Main Basin (BMB), Gulf of Finland (GoF) and Bothnian Sea (BS)) during marine migration. The expression of several stress related mRNAs and proteins of xenobiotic metabolism, oxidative stress, DNA damage and cell death were increased in salmon from GoF compared to salmon from BMB or BS. Respiratory electron chain and ATP synthesis related gene ontology-categories were upregulated in GoF salmon whereas those associated with RNA processing and synthesis, translation and protein folding decreased. Differences were seen also in metabolism and immune function related gene expression. Comparisons of the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles between salmon from GoF and salmon from BMB or BS suggest environmental stressors, especially exposure to environmental contaminants, as a main explanation for differences. Salmon feeding in GoF are thus “disturbed by hazardous substances”. The results may also be applied in evaluating the conditions of pelagic ecosystems in the different parts of Baltic Sea.
Project description:Molecular analysis of dissimilatory nitrite reductase genes (nirS) was conducted using a customized microarray containing 165 nirS probes (archetypes) to identify members of sedimentary denitrifying communities. The goal of this study was to examine denitrifying community responses to changing environmental variables over spatial and temporal scales in the New River Estuary (NRE), NC, USA. Multivariate statistical analyses revealed three denitrifier assemblages and uncovered “generalist” and “specialist” archetypes based on the distribution of archetypes within these assemblages. Generalists, archetypes detected in all samples during at least one season, were commonly world-wide found in estuarine and marine ecosystems, comprised 11-29% of the abundant NRE archetypes. Archetypes found in a particular site, “specialists”, were found to co-vary based on site specific conditions. Archetypes specific to the lower estuary in winter were designated Cluster I and significantly correlated by sediment Chl a and porewater Fe2+. A combination of specialist and more widely distributed archetypes formed Clusters II and III, which separated based on salinity and porewater H2S, respectively. The co-occurrence of archetypes correlated with different environmental conditions highlights the importance of habitat type and niche differentiation among denitrifying communities and supports the essential role of individual community members in overall ecosystem function.
Project description:Ocean global warming affects the distribution, life history and physiology of marine life. Extreme events, like marine heatwaves, are increasing in frequency and intensity. During sensitive developmental windows of fish, the consequences may be long-lasting and mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Here, we used adult European sea bass as a model to study the effects of a marine heatwave during development. We measured DNA methylation and gene expression in four tissues (brain, muscle, liver and testis) and detected differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Six genes were differentially expressed and contained DMRs three years after exposure to increased temperature, indicating direct phenotypic consequences and representing persistent changes. Interestingly, nine genes contained DMRs around the same genomic regions across tissues, therefore consisting of common footprints of developmental temperature in environmentally responsive loci. These loci are, to our knowledge, the first metastable epialleles (MEs) described in fish. MEs may serve as biomarkers to infer past life history events linked with persistent consequences. These results highlight the importance of subtle phenotypic changes mediated by epigenetics to extreme weather events during sensitive life stages. Also, to our knowledge, it is the first time the molecular effects of a marine heatwave during the lifetime of individuals are assessed. MEs could be used in surveillance programs aimed at determining the footprints of climate change on marine life. Our study paves the way for the identification of conserved MEs that respond equally to environmental perturbations across species. Conserved MEs would constitute a tool of assessment of global change effects in marine life at a large scale.
Project description:Proteomics of livers from Platichthys flesus caught in the Canche estuary but having undergone a 1-month encagement in three estuarine sites for describing molecular players in response to encagement and environmental stresses.
Project description:In this study, transcriptomics was used to investigate Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) sampled from three different field locations within Baltic Sea (Baltic Main Basin (CBS), Gulf of Finland (GoF) and Bothnian Sea (BS)) during marine migration. RNA labeling, hybridizations, and scanning were performed by the Finnish Microarray and Sequencing Centre in Turku Centre for Biotechnology.
Project description:The conservation and growth of natural capital accumulated in the seas and oceans is essential for the provision of sustainable ecosystem services and for the achievement of the EU’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN for 2030. Therefore, Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) offers a comprehensive and holistic approach for the protection of the European sea, acting as an environmental pillar of the EU’s broader maritime strategy. The blue economy conveys that a healthier sea is a more productive sea. Concretely, blue biotechnology, which uses, among others, shellfish, bacteria and algae for development in health care and energy production, needs a healthy ocean, biodiversity and biomass abundance to provide innovative substances that help in the production in innovative medicines for the maintenance of human health. Moreover, marine biomass has become a potent source of new and innovative biotechnological tools for new therapeutic strategies and compounds that will increases the utility of marine biomass valorization processes and the quest of new solutions to present diseases. Recently, proteomics approaches has highlighted its potential use to discover new activities with potential biotechnological applications from proteome data through “applied proteomics”. Finally, in the context of global climate change, it is also becoming more and more demanding to anticipate alterations and responses of bioindicator species and to create a database to prevent and predict the environmental and climatic changes before the damage being irreversible. In this project, The proteome analysis of the sea anemone, Anemonia sulcata and its symbiont will lead to the identification of gene expression biomarkers (GEBs), as emerging powerful diagnostic tools, for identifying and characterizing climate change drivers (temperature and irradiance) stress and improving monitoring techniques. In addition, By the application of novel algorithms to detect bioactive compounds based on the analysis of proteome marine-derived molecules will enable the identification of proteins with potential applications in agri-food and biomedicine fields.
2023-10-24 | PXD043202 | Pride
Project description:Seawater samples from the Bohai Sea