Abby TillotsonHalley NelsonRizky Darmawan

HYPOXIA IMPACTS ON PACIFIC OYSTER (CRASSOSTREA GIGAS) GENE EXPRESSION

http://osufoundation.org/news/featurednews/current/moore/index.htm

Anthropogenic contribution

CROSS SECTION

Thermo- or Pycnocline

Hypoxia

• Dissolved oxygen concentration <2mg/l•Worldwide• Estuaries• Semi-enclosed seas

• Commonly seasonal• Anthropogenic • Increase in duration, extent and magnitude

Diaz (2001); Diaz and Rosenberg (2008)

LOW DO

BACKGROUND

Dead Zone?

Chronicle/Ken Stevens :Michigan Department of Natural Resources Thousands of gizzard shad were found along the shore (Mona Lake)

AQUATIC

QUESTIONS

Plasticity of Gene Expression?

QUESTIONS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phenotypic_plasticity_diagram.svg

HYPOXIA

Secondary Ecological Impacts• Heat-shock proteins• Hsp70

QUESTIONS

Secondary Ecological Impacts

• Heat-shock proteins• Hsp70

• Hypoxia-Inducible Factors• HIF-1α

QUESTIONS

Secondary Ecological Impacts

• Heat-shock proteins• Hsp70

• Hypoxia-Inducible Factors• HIF-1α

• Insulin-like Growth Factor• hrIGF-1

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh26-4/274-281.htm

QUESTIONS

Hypoxia Exposure

Hypotheses

HIF-1α

Hsp70

High DO Low DO

mR

NA

gen

e e

xpre

ssio

n

Acclimation

hrIGF-1

Pacific Oyster

Methods

Why?• Abundant

• Lives in the intertidal zone

• Commercially important

Experimental Design

Methods

Hsp70

Results

High DO Control Low DO0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Acclimation

mea

n m

RN

A e

xpre

ssio

n of

Hsp

70

HIF-1α

Results

hrIGF-1

Results

High DO Control Low DO0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

Acclimation

Mean m

RN

A e

xpre

ssio

n o

f hrI

GF-1

Summary

1. Hsp70: General stress response, but lower levels in Low DO acclimated group

2. HIF-1α: Lower levels in Low DO acclimated group

3. hrIGF-1: High levels in Low DO acclimated group

Importance

Adapt

Grow

SurviveCommercial Conservation