The past two decades have seen a dramatic increase in economic repercussions and public health concerns associated with toxic blooms of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. These organisms can produce domoic acid (DA), a powerful neurotoxin increasingly found in shellfish in ocean and estuary settings. Natural communities of Pseudo-nitzschia are poorly defined and environmental factors can simultaneously influence species composition and toxin production per cell, thus complicating attempts to predict bloom dynamics and impacts.
In this study, a research team at the University of Washington will determine the relation between water column characteristics and Pseudo-nitzschia species distributions to determine the potential for human exposure. The study area, Puget Sound, is home to at least 8 species of Pseudo-nitzschia and 13 harvested shellfish that act as potential vectors of toxin to humans.
Puget Sound is also home to diverse communities of people, including tribal nations and Asian and Pacific Islanders, who by consuming high quantities of seafood. Using transgenic animal models, the team will employ in vitro and in vivo assessment to identify key life-stages where greatest risks to humans from DA exposures can occur. The types of genetic parameters considered across the risk chain mirror one another regardless of organism: the genetics of toxin production in diatoms will be examined with gene and protein expression studies to identify potential biomarkers for toxin production.
Broader Impacts: An important outcome of the project will be the training of a next generation of scientists (graduate student and postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates) adept at understanding and shaping the newly emerging field of "oceans and human health" that examines links between ocean processes and human health and well-being. This unique trans-disciplinary program brings together researchers with expertise in oceanography, microbiology and environmental genomics to work with researchers with expertise in public health, risk assessment, toxicology and neurobehavior.
The University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Center for Human Health and Ocean Studies (the Center) was created in 2003 in response to the critical need to understand links between ocean processes and human health. In 2011, the Center leveraged its collective expertise and momentum in the area of gene–environment (GxE) interactions when it was awarded a 2-year grant from NSF titled "Oceans and Human Health: Gene–Environment Interactions in the Pacific Northwest." This project covered the period from 9/1/2011 through 8/31/2013. Our study site of the inland estuary of Puget Sound is home to at least 8 species of Pseudo-nitzschia, a diatom associated with toxic algae blooms, and 13 harvested shellfish that act as potential vectors of the toxin to humans. Puget Sound is also home to diverse communities of people, including tribal nations and Asian and Pacific Islanders, who by consuming high quantities of seafood may be at greater risk from DA contaminated seafood and may display different vulnerabilities to acute high-level and chronic low-level exposure to DA. The premise that guides the research is that both genetic and environmental factors interactions dynamically affect Pseudo-nitzschia ecology and toxicity and their potential to impact and affect human health. Building off of our Center accomplishments, we developed and have put into action a conceptual framework to integrate gene-environment interactions from both an oceanography and public health perspective. This "risk chain" integrates the gene–environment interactions from both a public health and oceanography perspective: the genetics of individuals were investigated against a backdrop of environmental variation. This project accomplished three ‘broader impact’ goals: 1) fostering collaborations between investigators and external partners such as state agencies; 2) educating and training the next generation of researchers; and 3) providing informational resources and exchange with policy makers and also diverse communities. This unique trans-disciplinary program brought together researchers with expertise in oceanography, microbiology and environmental genomics to work with researchers with expertise in public health, risk assessment, toxicology and neurobehavior. This project has successfully continued the training of a next generation of scientists (graduate student and postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates) adept at understanding and shaping the newly emerging field of "oceans and human health" that examines links between ocean processes and human health and well-being.
