Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level
Marine mammals, now more than ever, are exposed to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. A better understanding of stress physiology in marine mammals is warranted in order to assist in conservation efforts. This study screened gene expression profiles (cytokines, stress-response markers) in bl...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:1bc24b6442f64c2aab978ac6069cdfde 2023-05-15T15:41:46+02:00 Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level Ebru Unal Tracy A. Romano 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 https://doaj.org/article/1bc24b6442f64c2aab978ac6069cdfde EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/2/4/40 https://doaj.org/toc/2673-5636 doi:10.3390/jzbg2040040 2673-5636 https://doaj.org/article/1bc24b6442f64c2aab978ac6069cdfde Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Vol 2, Iss 40, Pp 559-575 (2021) beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Zoology QL1-991 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 2022-12-31T11:02:53Z Marine mammals, now more than ever, are exposed to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. A better understanding of stress physiology in marine mammals is warranted in order to assist in conservation efforts. This study screened gene expression profiles (cytokines, stress-response markers) in blood samples collected opportunistically under controlled conditions from aquarium belugas during transport and introduction to a novel environment (T/NEnv), participation in out-of-water examinations (OWE) and from wild belugas during live capture–release health assessments (WLCR). Quantitative-PCR was used to measure gene expression involved in physiological and immune responses at different time scales. Linear mixed models with repeated measures and pairwise comparisons were used for analysis. Overall, a generalized down-regulation of relative gene expression when compared to samples collected under behavioral control from aquarium whales or to pre-assessment samples of wild whales was observed, with genes IFNγ, IL2, TGFβ and Nr3c1 displaying the largest significant ( p < 0.05) changes. Significant ( p < 0.05) negative associations of inflammatory gene expression with norepinephrine suggest inhibitory effects of catecholamines on the inflammatory response. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the physiological response to stressors at the molecular level in belugas, and the genes suggested here can further be utilized as additional tools in beluga health assessments and monitoring. Article in Journal/Newspaper Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 2 4 559 575 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Zoology QL1-991 |
spellingShingle |
beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Zoology QL1-991 Ebru Unal Tracy A. Romano Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level |
topic_facet |
beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Zoology QL1-991 |
description |
Marine mammals, now more than ever, are exposed to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. A better understanding of stress physiology in marine mammals is warranted in order to assist in conservation efforts. This study screened gene expression profiles (cytokines, stress-response markers) in blood samples collected opportunistically under controlled conditions from aquarium belugas during transport and introduction to a novel environment (T/NEnv), participation in out-of-water examinations (OWE) and from wild belugas during live capture–release health assessments (WLCR). Quantitative-PCR was used to measure gene expression involved in physiological and immune responses at different time scales. Linear mixed models with repeated measures and pairwise comparisons were used for analysis. Overall, a generalized down-regulation of relative gene expression when compared to samples collected under behavioral control from aquarium whales or to pre-assessment samples of wild whales was observed, with genes IFNγ, IL2, TGFβ and Nr3c1 displaying the largest significant ( p < 0.05) changes. Significant ( p < 0.05) negative associations of inflammatory gene expression with norepinephrine suggest inhibitory effects of catecholamines on the inflammatory response. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the physiological response to stressors at the molecular level in belugas, and the genes suggested here can further be utilized as additional tools in beluga health assessments and monitoring. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ebru Unal Tracy A. Romano |
author_facet |
Ebru Unal Tracy A. Romano |
author_sort |
Ebru Unal |
title |
Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level |
title_short |
Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level |
title_full |
Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level |
title_fullStr |
Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level |
title_full_unstemmed |
Of Whales and Genes: Unraveling the Physiological Response to Stressors in Belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas ) at the Molecular Level |
title_sort |
of whales and genes: unraveling the physiological response to stressors in belugas ( delphinapterus leucas ) at the molecular level |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 https://doaj.org/article/1bc24b6442f64c2aab978ac6069cdfde |
genre |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Vol 2, Iss 40, Pp 559-575 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/2/4/40 https://doaj.org/toc/2673-5636 doi:10.3390/jzbg2040040 2673-5636 https://doaj.org/article/1bc24b6442f64c2aab978ac6069cdfde |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 |
container_title |
Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
container_volume |
2 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
559 |
op_container_end_page |
575 |
_version_ |
1766374663725776896 |