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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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Main Authors: Ebru Unal, Tracy A. Romano
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg2040040
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spelling 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
institution Open Polar
collection MDPI Open Access Publishing
op_collection_id ftmdpi
language English
topic beluga
gene expression
quantitative PCR
immune system
health
stress
whale
cetacean
blood
spellingShingle 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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