Marine Toxicology
 North Atlantic Right Whale Photo Courtesy of: Scott Kraus |
 South Atlantic Right Whale Photo Courtesy of: Iain Kerr |
Background
The North Atlantic Right Whale is the most severely endangered large whale, with only about 400 animals left in their population. The underlying causes for the inability of these animals to recover in population size are uncertain and are likely to be a combination of factors. A recent international conference of marine mammal experts concluded that "...right whales are routinely exposed to a wide array of xenobiotic chemicals, some of which generate toxic effects on mammalian reproductive and immune systems", and that "...significant fundamental research was needed to adequately assess the effects of pollutants on cetaceans" (1). Thus one possible factor contributing to the reduced population is the effect of environmental chemicals on the reproductive tissues of North Atlantic right whales.
By contrast, the South Atlantic Right whales are a healthy population with several thousand members. This difference in health strongly implicates an environmental factor in the decline of the North Atlantic Right whale. Each year we collect field samples from each population traveling to Lubec, Maine (North Atlantic Right Whales) and Patagonia in Argentina (South Atlantic Right Whales). We are measuring contaminant levels in both populations and using cell lines to determine which pollutants pose the greatest risk.
Field work in Argentina
Photo Courtesy of: Iain Kerr
Experimental Studies
We are investigating the genetic effects of environmental contaminants on North Atlantic right whales by using their closest living relative, the bowhead whale, as a surrogate model. Our research focuses on five classes of environmental contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals, anti-fouling agents, anticorrosives, and radionuclides) that pose a specific concern for right whales (1) and investigates the genetic effects of these chemicals on cell lines developed from bowhead reproductive and somatic tissues (testis, ovary, lung and skin). This research also investigates the genetic effects of these contaminants on cell lines developed from right whale skin, lung, and testis.
With the data obtained from these efforts, we will be able to determine: 1) which classes of contaminants damage the reproductive organs of whales; 2) the sensitivity of reproductive organs compared to somatic tissues (lung and skin); and 3) how bowhead cells compare to right whale cells. Furthermore, this proposal investigates cell lines from animals of different age classes (adult and sub-adult), different genders and multiple individuals from both species.
This work will help us to begin to understand the intra-species differences (age, sex and individuals) in the response to the genetic effects of environmental contaminants by using cell lines from each animal. And also look at the differences between reproductive and somatic tissues. In addition, we are interested in understanding the mechanisms of DNA damage repair in these species and compare with our human studies.
This study will greatly enhance our knowledge of the physiology and toxicology of the right whale. Moreover, it will create tools (cell lines) that can serve as right whale-specific models, which can be used by other investigators to better understand additional aspects of right whale genetics, physiology, immunology and biochemistry, as well as investigations into the effects of other contaminants and infectious agents.
| Right Whale Skin Cells | Right Whale Lung Cells |
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References
- Reeves, R.R., Rolland, R., Clapham, P.J. (eds) Causes of Reproductive Failure in North Atlantic Right Whales: New Avenues of Research. Report of a Workshop Held 26-28, April 2000 p10-11.
Relevant Wise Laboratory Publications
Wise, Sr. J.P., Wise, S.S, Kraus, S. Shaffiey, F., Grau, M., Li Chen, T., Perkins, C., Thompson, W.D., Zheng, T., Zhang, Y., Romano, T., and O’Hara, T. Hexavalent Chromium Is Cytotoxic and Genotoxic to the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) Lung and Testes Fibroblasts. Mutation Research. 650: 30-38, 2008.
Collaborators and Cooperators
The Wise Laboratory is assisted in this work by an important number of collaborators and cooperators. In particular, the following prominent scientists and their teams provide significant support and input:
Mr. Iain Kerr is the Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of The Ocean Alliance. He provides access to the research vessel Odyssey and access to Southern Right whale samples.
Dr. Scott Kraus is Vice President of research at the New England Aquarium. He also operates the research field station in Lubec, Maine. He provides expert advice and guidance on North Atlantic right whales and access to samples. He is also collaborating with Dr. Wise on a project investigating the toxicity of metals to lobsters.
Dr. Tracy Romano is the Vice President of Research and Veterinary Services, Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. She provides expert advice and guidance on the immune system in marine mammals.
Dr. Todd O'Hara is a researcher with the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He provides expert advice and guidance on bowhead whales and helps with access to the field station in Barrow, Alaska.
Dr. Roger Payne is the Founder and President of The Ocean Alliance in Lincoln, Massachusetts. He provides expert advice and guidance on identification and geographic distribution of whales and other marine mammals.
Dr. Mariano Sironi is the scientific director of the Instituto de Conservacion de Ballenas (Whale Conservation Institute) in Patagonia, Argentina. He is part of the effort to study the Southern Right whales.
Dr. Vicky Rowntree is Research Associate Professor of Biology, University of Utah, and co-founder of the Ocean Alliance. She provides expert advice and guidance on Southern right whales and access to samples.
Dr. Douglas Thompson is a Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Director of the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health at the University of Southern Maine. He provides expert advice and guidance on statistical analysis and study design and also assists with the marine mammal studies.
Dr. Yawei Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University. She provides expert advice and guidance on the statistical analysis and epidemiological design of marine mammal studies.
Dr. Tongzhang Zheng is Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health and Head of the Environmental Health Sciences Division at Yale University. He provides expert advice and guidance on the statistical analysis and epidemiological design of marine mammal studies.
Funding
This work was generously supported by grant number NA03NMF4720478, "The Genetic Effects of Environmental Contaminants on the Reproductive Systems of the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)" from the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and by the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health.
