EAGER: Origin and Physiological Consequences of a Neoplasm Outbreak in Antarctic Fish

南极洲的本土动物面临着海洋变暖带来的越来越大的压力。一个关键的悬而未决的问题是，南极生物将如何应对。如果温暖的海水导致鱼类疾病易感性，那么它们所支持的标志性南极捕食者，包括企鹅、海豹和虎鲸，将受到影响。最近在南极半岛的一次科学巡航中，遇到了一群加冕的无尾鱼，它们受到粉红色、疣状肿瘤的困扰，这些肿瘤覆盖了大约三分之一的动物10%到30%的体表。之前没有报道过类似的肿瘤，这表明这可能是一种威胁南极鱼类的新疾病。拟议工作的目标是确定肿瘤的生物学来源，以及它如何影响细胞功能和组织生理学。这项工作具有潜在的变革性，因为它研究了南极鱼类对全球气候变化的反应可能是什么。该项目有几个更广泛的影响。首先，它将宣传肿瘤。由于南极研究人员从未报告过肿瘤流行，因此社区必须意识到疫情的爆发和肿瘤的明显诊断特征。其次，项目成果的传播将引发进一步的研究，以确定这是一个孤立的事件，还是正在成为一个普遍现象，从而成为南极生态系统的一个广泛关切。第三，分析为检测疾病而开发的项目将加强研究基础设施。最后，这项工作将通过为高中生和来自科学研究中代表性较低群体的本科生提供真实的研究经验，扩大国家的科学队伍。拟议工作的总体目标是确定肿瘤的生物学起源以及它如何影响细胞功能和生理。目的1鉴定病原体。目的1a是通过从肿瘤和未受明显影响的动物身上分离和测序病毒核酸，来检验病毒引起肿瘤的假设。目标1b是检测健康皮肤中不存在的细菌、真菌、原生动物或无脊椎动物寄生虫的肿瘤。目标2是了解这种疾病如何改变受影响细胞的生物学。2a的目的是检查受影响组织和对照组织的组织切片，以确定这些肿瘤是否类似于之前报道的温带水域鱼类的皮肤病。目的2b是通过RNA-SEQ转录组学检测肿瘤细胞的功能，以确定在肿瘤和正常皮肤中差异表达的基因。实现这些目标将通过查明南极鱼类肿瘤暴发的原因和后果来促进知识的发展。拟议的工作意义重大，因为它是第一次调查南极鱼类中的肿瘤集群。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Antarctica’s native animals face increasing stressors from warming oceans. A key unanswered question is how Antarctic life will respond. If warmer waters contribute to fish disease susceptibility, then iconic Antarctic predators they support, including penguins, seals, and killer whales, will suffer. A recent scientific cruise on the Antarctic peninsula encountered a population of crowned notothen fish that were plagued by pink, wart-like tumors that covered 10% to 30% of the body surface on about a third of the animals. Similar tumors had not previously been reported, suggesting that this might be a new disease that threatens Antarctic fish. The goal of proposed work is to identify the biological origins of the tumor and how it affects cell function and organismal physiology. The work is potentially transformative because it studies what might be a harbinger of Antarctic fish responses to global climate change. The project has several Broader Impacts. First, it will publicize the tumors. Because Antarctic researchers have never reported a tumor epidemic, the community must become aware of the outbreak and the tumor’s distinct diagnostic features. Second, dissemination of project results will stir further research to determine if this is an isolated event or is becoming a general phenomenon, and thus a broad concern for Antarctic ecosystems. Third, assays the project develops to detect the disease will enhance research infrastructure. Finally, work will broaden the nation’s scientific workforce by providing authentic research experiences for high school students and undergraduates from groups underrepresented in scientific research. The overall goal of proposed work is to identify the biological origins of the neoplasia and how it affects cell function and physiology. Aim 1 is to identify the pathogenic agent. Aim 1a is to test the hypothesis that a virus causes the neoplasia by isolating and sequencing viral nucleic acids from neoplasias and from animals that are not visibly affected. Aim 1b is to test neoplasias for bacteria, fungi, protozoa, or invertebrate parasites not present in healthy skin. Aim 2 is to learn how the disease alters the biology of affected cells. Aim 2a is to examine histological sections of affected and control tissues to see if the neoplasias are similar to previously reported skin diseases in temperate water fishes. Aim 2b is to examine the function of neoplastic cells by RNA-seq transcriptomics to identify genes that are differentially expressed in neoplasias and normal skin. Achieving these Aims will advance knowledge by identifying the causes and consequences of an outbreak of neoplasias in Antarctic fish. Proposed work is significant because it is the first to investigate a neoplasia cluster in Antarctic fish.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.