STRESS BIOMARKERS IN EPIDERMAL MUCUS OF MARINE FISHES

鱼类的多样性和丰度受到几个因素的影响，包括自然应激源(例如温度、pH和捕食者)以及人为应激源(例如栖息地丧失和污染)。随着我们的气候变化，鱼类面临着各种各样的环境压力，它们必须要么适应，要么死亡。当鱼受到压力时，生物活性化合物(如蛋白质)从组织和器官如鳃、皮肤、肝脏、脾和肾脏中释放出来，并可在鱼的粘液中聚集。生物标志物可以作为生理紊乱或压力导致动态平衡丧失的警告信号。这些应激源还可以影响负责蛋白质翻译的基因的调节，因此在鱼类组织的DNA和RNA中也可以检测到适应机制。通过研究这些变化是如何受年龄、性别和其他生理决定因素影响的，我将加深我们对鱼类在不断变化的环境中生存可能做出的权衡的理解。这一新的方法涉及对关于这些变化的代谢意义的假设进行测试。我的研究项目探索识别鱼的应激反应的表皮粘液蛋白生物标记物。在接下来的5年里，我将运用我的专业知识来鉴定海鱼表皮粘液中的蛋白质，并探索这些蛋白质在应对特定环境压力时丰度和多样性的变化。我在过去3年的学术工作中，监督和培训了16名优等生和21名研究课题学生。最近，我们获得了一笔资金，使我的学生、合作者和我能够在几种鱼类中探索与一般健康和免疫力相关的蛋白质，这些鱼类包括角叉鱼、黑线鳕、红鱼、鲶鱼、斑点石斑鱼、鲑鱼、鲑鱼和鳕鱼。我计划在未来的研究中使用这些生物标记物来检查鱼中特定应激源的存在和程度。我们获得的信息将提供几块拼图，有助于更好地了解环境应激源对鱼类健康的影响。该计划还将吸引来自全球各地的研究人员，并为动物应激研究提供培训基础。

Fish diversity and abundance is affected by several factors, including natural stressors (e.g. temperature, pH and predators) as well as anthropogenic stressors (e.g. habitat loss and pollution). As our climate changes, fish are presented with a variety of environmental stressors to which they must either adapt or perish. When a fish is stressed, bioreactive compounds (e.g. proteins) are released from tissues and organs such as the gill, skin, liver, spleen and kidney and can collect in the mucus of fish. Biomarkers can act as warning signs of physiological disturbances or stress leading to a loss of homeostasis. These stressors can also affect the regulation of genes responsible for protein translation, and therefore mechanisms of adaptation can also be detected in the DNA and RNA of fish tissues. By examining how these changes are affected by age, sex and other physiological determinants, I will increase our understanding of the trade-offs fish may be making to survive in our changing environment. This novel approach involves testing of hypotheses regarding the metabolic significance of these changes. My research program explores the identification of epidermal mucus protein biomarkers in response to stress in fish. Over the next 5 years I will bring my expertise to bear on identifying proteins in the epidermal mucus of marine fishes and exploring changes in abundance and diversity of these proteins in response to specific environmental stressors. My last 3 years in an academic appointment has resulted in supervision and training of 16 Honours students and 21 research topics students. Recently, we have acquired funding that has allowed my students, collaborators and I to explore proteins related to general health and immunity in several fish species including sculpin, haddock, redfish, catfish, striped bass, salmon, trout and cod. I plan to use these biomarkers for future studies examining the presence and extent of specific stressors in fish. The information we acquire will provide several pieces of the puzzle that contribute to a better understanding of the effects of environmental stressors on fish health. This program will also draw together researchers from across the globe and provide a training ground for research on animal stress.