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Young Researchers and Professionals
| Project leader |
Mladineo Ivona |
| Project co-leader: |
Barbara A. Block |
| Administering organization: |
Institute of Oceanography & Fisheries |
| Partner Institution/Company: |
Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University/ Kali tuna doo |
| Grant type: |
3A |
| Project title: |
Development of a Health Genomic Profile for the captive Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) |
| Project summary: |
Fish in a captive rearing environment are challenged daily with stress factors that induce a number of measurable physiological changes in their organismal biology, impacting their welfare, health and the overall condition. Stress, being inevitable and constant at least to some extent, is imposed by environmental or anthropogenic activities and may induce a decrease an individual’s immunocompetence. Currently we are able only to deduce a degree of stress, not to bypass it completely. We propose to set up a reliable molecular assay able to signal the stress levels at a preclinical stage that would allow a prompt intervention to attenuate its impact.The proposed research project has the scope to develop a non-invasive tool in reared bluefin tuna based on cDNA microarray technology, which would allow the detection of oscillations in the immune gene expression at the early onset of a stress in tuna cages. The candidates for immune biomarkers are two cytokines - Tumor Necrosis Factor alfa (TNF-alfa) and Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), and members of Toll-like Receptor (TLR) family. Under stress conditions, one of the effects of cortisol is the prolongation of down-regulation of NF-kappa B, a mediator of TNF-alfa, which in turn is up regulated. Normally, TNF-alfa and IL1-beta have a role in activation and recruiting of macrophages and granulocytes on the site of inflammation. However, the continuous stimulation of phagocytes by high level of cortisol can lead to overproduction of TNF-alfa and nitric oxide, implicated in the etiology of many diseases. At the other side, Toll-like Receptor genes (TLR) are excellent health indicators, since they are expressed in immune cells after their binding to various pathogens, initiating a wide spectrum of responses, from phagocytosis to cytokines production. By developing a microarray that incorporates these reliable immunological parameters for the monitoring of welfare on the farm, the project will provide scientific contributions to policies that are targeted precisely on needs of one of most expanding branch of aquaculture today. At the same time it will enrich and extend greatly our understanding of fine mechanisms of stress-immunity balancing in tuna that in many ways stand as very particular fish species. It will also, not less important, secure the development of more trustful and transparent collaboration between tuna farmers and scientists. |
| Hrvatski sažetak: |
Ribe u uzgoju su svakodnevno izložene čimbenicima stresa koji potiču brojne mjerljive fiziološke promjene u njihovom organizmu, reflektirajući se na dobrobit, zdravlje i ukupnu kondiciju ribe. Stres, koji je nezaobilazan i stalan do neke mjere, nastaje usljed okolišnih ili antropogenih aktivnosti i može inducirati pad imunokompetencije jedinke. Trenutno smo u mogućnosti ocijeniti tek stupanj stresa, ali ga ne i u potpunosti zaobići. Zato je potrebno razviti molekularni sustav koji bi bio u stanju signalirati razinu stresa u prekliničkom stupnju, kako bi se omogućila brza intervencija u cilju njegova smanjenja.
Predloženi projekt ima za cilj razviti neinvazivan alat za uzgojenu plavoperajnu tunu, temeljen na tehnologiji genetskog mikročipa, a koji bi otkrio kolebanje ekspresije imunosnih gena već pri ranom početku dielovanja stresa na uzgojenu tunu. Kandidati za imunosne biomarkere su dva citokina - Tumor Nekrotični Faktor alfa (TNF-alfa) i Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta), odnosno članovi obitelji Toll-like Receptora (TLR). Prilikom stresa, jedan od učinaka kortizola je produžena supresija NF-kappa B, medijatora citokina TNF-alfa, koji se u tom slučaju pojačano izlučuje. Uobičajeno, TNF-alfa i IL1-beta imaju ulogu u aktivaciji i privlačenju makrofaga i granulocita na mjesto upalnog procesa. Međutim, pretjerana stimulacija fagocita visokom razinom kortizola može izazvati preveliko izlučivanje TNF-alfa i dušičnog oksida, koji pri tom mogu uzrokovati mnoge bolesti.
Toll-like Receptori (TLR) su odlični indikatori zdravstvenog stanja, budući se izlučuju u imunosnim stanicama nakon što one uhvate uzročnika bolesti, tako započinjući širok spektar imunosnih odgovora, od fagocitoze do produkcije citokina.
Razvijanjem mikročipa koji će uključivati ove imunološke parametre za monitoring dobrobiti na uzgajalištima, projekt će znanstveno pridonjeti razvoju novih zooprofilaktičkih mjera na tunogojilištima. Istovremeno će obogatiti i znatno proširiti naše razumijevanje mehanizama odnosa stres-imunitet u tune, koja u mnogome predstavlja specifičnu riblju vrstu. Također će, ne manje bitno, osigurati razvoj dubljeg povjerenja i transparentnijeg suradništva između uzgajivača tune i znanstvenika. |
| Amount requested from UKF: |
50.000 € |
| Amount of matching funding: |
17.000 € |
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