Meeting Abstract

P2.13  Friday, Jan. 4  A Integrated, Systems-level Approach to Study Mitochondrial Functioning in Physiological Genomics and Ecology: Connecting the Transcriptome to Respiratory Performance in the Context of Biological Stoichiometry FIELMAN, K.T.*; UEDA, N.; DAVIS, V.C.; HULGAN, B.W.; BLAIR, N.P.; Auburn University; Auburn University; Auburn University; Auburn University; Auburn University fielman@auburn.edu

Biological stoichiometry is the study of the relationships among chemical elements and energy balance in biological systems, drawing from principles of molecular and cell biology, physiology, ecology and evolution. The concept encompasses a main objective of physiological genomics, which is to bridge the gap between an organism�s genotype and an observed, functional phenotype. Studies of this breadth require a systems-level approach to address the diversity of processes and mechanisms that occur across these multiple scales of biological organization. Covering this breadth is especially challenging in the context of ecology, where individual and environmental variation is the norm and large numbers of replicates (N) may be required, but sample size (i.e., weight) may be limiting. Here, we describe results from a three-tiered approach to address a subset of this challenge by using 96-well plate assay formats for: 1) RNA extraction and multiplexed mitochondrial gene expression profiling with up to 30 different gene products measured per well; 2) rapid isolation of intact mitochondria for functional analyses from small samples; and 3) fluorescence-based mitochondrial and whole organism respiration measurements. This strategy is being applied successfully to evaluate the molecular and physiological underpinnings of the growth rate hypothesis during sea urchin larval development and in laboratory microcosms of a unique, self-sustaining closed ecosystem based on microbes, microalgae and an Atyidid shrimp.