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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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2673-5636/2/4/40/ 2023-08-20T04:05:34+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 agris 2021-10-29 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens; Volume 2; Issue 4; Pages: 559-575 beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress whale cetacean blood Text 2021 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 2023-08-01T03:06:33Z 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. Text Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas MDPI Open Access Publishing Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 2 4 559 575 |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
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English |
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beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress whale cetacean blood |
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beluga gene expression quantitative PCR immune system health stress whale cetacean blood 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 whale cetacean blood |
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 |
Text |
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 |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Beluga Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens; Volume 2; Issue 4; Pages: 559-575 |
op_relation |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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 |
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1774716117235793920 |