PHILLIPS, M.R. *; JOHNSON, E.A.; TERWILLIGER, N.B. ; University of Oregon; University of Oregon; University of Oregon: Exploring the Functional Genomics of Development and Adaptation in Cancer magister

Cancer magister, the Dungeness crab, is a commercially and recreationally important species on the West coast of North America. It spends the early stages of its life cycle in the open ocean and inhabits near-shore waters and estuaries as juvenile and adult. Thus, C. magister is exposed to a wide range of environmental conditions throughout its life cycle, including daily and seasonal differences in salinity, temperature, and oxygen levels. The physiological responses of this species to various stresses are well documented in the literature, but much less is known about how they respond and adapt to changes in their environment at the biochemical and molecular level. Previous studies in the Terwilliger lab have shown that developmental stage and molt period can drastically affect ionic and osmoregulatory capacity, as well as respiratory protein ontogeny, indicating that there is interplay between development and stress at the molecular level. We have collected RNA samples from C. magister at different stages of development and from C. magister exposed to the major types of environmental and physiological stress this organism encounters � hypoxia, thermal and osmotic stress, and molting. We are currently employing a cDNA microarray approach to investigate how gene expression is altered in response to these stresses, with a focus on how these responses vary at different points in the life cycle. The comprehensive nature of our study will be useful in identifying genes important in development and adaptation and provide new information on the response of multiple genes to these stresses.