Incardona, J. P., NOAA Northwest Fisheries Scien, Seattle, USA, john.incardona@noaa.gov

FISH EMBRYOS AS SENTINELS FOR UNEXPECTED HUMAN HEALTH THREATS

Developmental biology and genetics have revealed the high degree of evolutionary conservation among vertebrates. Thus the embryos of a fish (Danio rerio, zebrafish) have become a powerful tool for studying the molecular basis of human disease. As humans are difficult to study in the lab, so are many native fish species. Zebrafish thus provide a powerful tool for the study of fish health as it relates to conservation biology and coastal resource management. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derived from fossil fuels are among the most abundant pollutants on the planet. To gain insight into how PAHs affect fish health, as demonstrated by the impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on species such as pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), we are analyzing the effects of PAHs on zebrafish embryos. These studies identified the heart as a major target for tricyclic PAHs such as phenanthrene, which are very abundant in both water and air. Because the candidate molecular targets are conserved between fish and human hearts, tricyclic PAHs are a likely contributor to increased heart disease-related mortality associated with urban air pollution.

Oral presentation

Presentation is given by student: No
Session #:120
Date: 03-03-2008
Time: 10:00