RAPID: Influence of Environmental Crude Oil Exposure on Genetic Mechanisms of Fish Development

墨西哥湾的深水地平线石油泄漏使得了解原油暴露对海洋生物的影响势在必行。 这个快速项目旨在调查原油化合物对鱼苗发育的影响。 动物发育的胚胎阶段对原油等环境污染物非常敏感。 鱼苗是墨西哥湾沿岸食物网的重要组成部分，该项目的目标之一是确定暴露于这些化合物将如何诱导发育异常，从而可能导致存活鱼类严重受损。 快速反应特别合适，因为亲鱼及其卵都曾严重暴露于原油。 了解任何异常影响的分子和遗传基础将有助于确定它们是由其他环境污染物常见的分子途径引起的，还是原油特有的。 这将使用最先进的DNA测序基因表达技术和基于生物信息学的基因网络分析进行研究。 实施这些方法来研究原油暴露对胚胎发育影响的分子基础，是在利用技术先进的基因分析工具了解生物体与其环境之间相互作用的分子基础方面向前迈出的重要一步。 该项目为分子和环境科学领域的研究生提供培训，并为研究科学家提供向公众传达有关美国公民生计和福利的发现的机会。

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has made it imperative to understand the effects of crude oil exposure on marine life. This RAPID project is designed to investigate the effects of crude oil compounds on the development of fish larvae. Embryonic stages of animal development are very sensitive to environmental pollutants like those in crude oil. Fish larvae form an important component of the Gulf Coast food web, and one goal of this project is to determine how exposure to these compounds will induce developmental abnormalities that may result in severe impairment of surviving fish. The RAPID response is particularly appropriate, as the both the brood fish and their spawn have been acutely exposed to crude oil. Understanding the molecular and genetic basis of the effects of any abnormalities will help determine whether they result from molecular pathways common to other environmental pollutants or are unique to crude oil. This will be investigated using both state-of-the-art DNA sequencing gene expression technologies and bioinformatics-based gene network analysis. The implementation of these methods to study the molecular basis of the effects of crude oil exposure on embryonic development represents a major step forward in the use of technologically-advanced gene analysis tools to understand the molecular basis of interactions between organisms and their environment. This project provides training for graduate students in molecular and environmental science and the opportunity for research scientists to communicate findings to the public that concern the livelihood and welfare of American citizens.