Mercury Toxicology and Risk Assessment

计划范围汞(Hg)是一种全球性污染物，有强有力的证据表明，到2050年，其排放量，特别是燃煤发电厂的排放量，将增加50%。汞是一种已知的神经毒物，可对世界各地不同生态系统中的鱼类、野生动物和人类种群的健康产生不利影响。我们研究计划的总体目标是了解汞等环境污染物对生态系统健康的不利影响的机制，并开发新的风险评估和公共卫生干预工具。*在过去6年的NSERC资助中，我的团队对汞的分子机制、它与硒和长链多不饱和脂肪酸等营养物质的相互作用以及野生动物和人类种群的新型生物标记物的开发做出了新的见解。我们的研究成果从区域到国际层面都为野生动物和公共卫生管理和政策做出了贡献。我的NSERC计划的贡献培养了来自世界各地的大量研究生和本科生，他们后来在大学、工业和政府部门任职。NSERC计划的目标*我提议研究产前暴露甲基汞延迟影响的潜在机制，肠道微生物区系对汞消除的调节作用，以及基础研究结果应用于风险评估和风险管理目的。具体目标是：*研究甲基汞对神经干细胞发育的作用机制及其在甲基汞延迟效应中的作用；*b.研究肠道微生物群饮食变化对汞代谢的影响；*c.研究河獭体内甲基汞负荷与粪便微生物区系的关系；以及*d.研究白鲸和北极熊不同脑区的蛋白质组学变化以及体内汞负荷之间的关系。*将在拟议的计划中培训10名理科学士、3名理科硕士、5名博士和1名PDF。*意义和新颖性*我们研究Keystone哺乳动物物种(包括人类)中相同终点的方法是新颖和相关的。了解胎儿接触汞如何在几十年后造成长期影响将是开创性的。我们还有能力将尖端基础实验的结果用于应用野生动物和流行病学研究。我们的结果可能被用来为生态系统健康管理目的建立阈值。

PROGRAM SCOPE***Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant and there is strong evidence that the emission, in particular from coal-burning power plants, will increase by 50% in 2050. Hg is a known neurotoxicant and can have adverse effects on the health of fish, wildlife and human populations in different ecosystems around the world. The overarching goal of our research program is to understand the mechanisms of the adverse effects of environmental contaminants such as Hg on ecosystem health and develop new tools for risk assessment and public health intervention. ***Over the past 6 years of NSERC funding, my group has contributed new insights into the molecular mechanisms of Hg, its interactions with nutrients such as selenium and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and the development of novel biomarkers for wildlife and human populations. Our research results have been contributed to the wildlife and public health management and policy from the regional to the international levels. The contributions of my NSERC program have trained a significant number of graduate and undergraduate students from all over the world, who have gone on to take positions in university, industry, and government.*********OBJECTIVES OF NSERC PROGRAM***I propose to study the underlying mechanisms of delayed effects of MeHg prenatal exposure, the modulating effects of gut-microbiota on mercury elimination and the application of the results of the basic research to risk assessment and risk management purposes. Specific objectives are: *** **** **a. To study mechanisms of MeHg effects on neural stem cell development and their roles on delayed MeHg effects;***b. To study effects of diet alteration in gut microbiome on mercury metabolism;***c. To study the relationship between body burden of MeHg and fecal microbiota in river otters; and ****d. To study the proteomic changes in different brain regions and the relationship between body burden of mercury in beluga whales and polar bears.***A total of 10 BSc, 3 MSc, 5 Ph.D. and 1 PDF will be trained in the proposed program. **********SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY***Our approach of studying the same endpoints in keystone mammalian species (including human) is novel and relevant. The understanding of how fetal exposure to mercury can cause long-term effects decades later will be groundbreaking. We also have the capacity to use the findings from cutting-edge basic experiments for applied wildlife and epidemiological studies. Our results may be used to establish thresholds for ecosystem health management purposes.*** *** **