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

在过去的二十年中，与假硅藻的有毒繁殖有关的经济影响和公众健康问题急剧增加。这些生物可以产生软骨藻酸（DA），这是一种强大的神经毒素，在海洋和河口环境中越来越多地发现贝类。伪nitzschia的自然群落定义不清，环境因素可以同时影响物种组成和每个细胞的毒素产生，从而使预测开花动态和影响的尝试复杂化。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与伪尼茨schia物种分布之间的关系，以确定人类接触的可能性。在普吉特海湾的研究区域，至少有8种伪尼茨氏虫和13种收获的贝类是人类毒素的潜在载体。普吉特海湾也是各种各样的人的家园，包括部落国家和亚洲及太平洋岛民，他们消费大量的海鲜。利用转基因动物模型，该团队将采用体外和体内评估来确定暴露于DA对人类风险最大的关键生命阶段。在整个风险链中考虑的遗传参数类型相互反映，无论生物体如何：硅藻毒素产生的遗传学将通过基因和蛋白质表达研究进行检查，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、博士后研究人员和本科生），他们善于理解和塑造“海洋与人类健康”这一新兴领域，研究海洋过程与人类健康和福祉之间的联系。这个独特的跨学科项目汇集了具有海洋学、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、毒理学和神经行为学专业知识的研究人员合作。

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.