Oceans and Human Health: Gene-Environment Interactions in the Pacific Northwest

海洋与人类健康：太平洋西北地区的基因与环境相互作用

• 批准号: 1128883
• 负责人: Elaine Faustman
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1128883&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Oceans; Human; Health; Gene; Environment

The past two decades have seen a dramatic increase in economic repercussions and public health concerns associated with toxic blooms of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. These organisms can produce domoic acid (DA), a powerful neurotoxin increasingly found in shellfish in ocean and estuary settings. Natural communities of Pseudo-nitzschia are poorly defined and environmental factors can simultaneously influence species composition and toxin production per cell, thus complicating attempts to predict bloom dynamics and impacts. In this study, a research team at the University of Washington will determine the relation between water column characteristics and Pseudo-nitzschia species distributions to determine the potential for human exposure. The study area, Puget Sound, is home to at least 8 species of Pseudo-nitzschia and 13 harvested shellfish that act as potential vectors of toxin to humans. Puget Sound is also home to diverse communities of people, including tribal nations and Asian and Pacific Islanders, who by consuming high quantities of seafood. Using transgenic animal models, the team will employ in vitro and in vivo assessment to identify key life-stages where greatest risks to humans from DA exposures can occur. The types of genetic parameters considered across the risk chain mirror one another regardless of organism: the genetics of toxin production in diatoms will be examined with gene and protein expression studies to identify potential biomarkers for toxin production. Broader Impacts: An important outcome of the project will be the training of a next generation of scientists (graduate student and postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates) adept at understanding and shaping the newly emerging field of "oceans and human health" that examines links between ocean processes and human health and well-being. This unique trans-disciplinary program brings together researchers with expertise in oceanography, microbiology and environmental genomics to work with researchers with expertise in public health, risk assessment, toxicology and neurobehavior.

在过去的二十年里，与硅藻伪菱形藻有毒水华相关的经济影响和公共卫生问题急剧增加。这些生物可以产生软骨藻酸（DA），这是一种强大的神经毒素，越来越多地发现于海洋和河口环境中的贝类中。自然界的伪菱形藻定义不清，环境因素可以同时影响物种组成和每个细胞的毒素生产，从而使预测水华动态和影响的尝试变得复杂。在这项研究中，华盛顿大学的一个研究小组将确定水柱特征和伪菱形藻物种分布之间的关系，以确定人类接触的可能性。研究区域普吉特湾（Puget Sound）是至少8种伪菱形藻和13种收获的贝类的家园，这些贝类是人类毒素的潜在载体。普吉特湾也是不同社区居民的家园，包括部落民族以及亚洲和太平洋岛民，他们消耗大量海鲜。利用转基因动物模型，研究小组将采用体外和体内评估来确定关键的生命阶段，在这些阶段，DA暴露可能对人类造成最大的风险。在整个风险链中考虑的遗传参数的类型相互反映，而不考虑生物体：将通过基因和蛋白质表达研究来检查硅藻中毒素产生的遗传学，以确定毒素产生的潜在生物标志物。 更广泛的影响：该项目的一个重要成果将是培训下一代科学家（研究生和博士后研究人员以及本科生），他们善于理解和塑造“海洋与人类健康”这一新兴领域，研究海洋进程与人类健康和福祉之间的联系。这个独特的跨学科计划汇集了具有海洋学，微生物学和环境基因组学专业知识的研究人员，与具有公共卫生，风险评估，毒理学和神经行为专业知识的研究人员合作。