Meeting Abstract
P1.153 Sunday, Jan. 4 Transcriptional Profile of the Penaeid Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei to Hypoxia and Hypercapnic Hypoxia RATHBURN, C.K.**; BURNETT, L.; GROSS, P.; BEAL, M.; VELOSO, A.; COOK, M.; BURNETT, K.; College of Charleston, SC ; C of C, SC; Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston; Hollings Marine Laboratory, Charleston, SC; HML, Charleston, SC; MUSC, Charleston; C of C, SC Kolo_Rathburn@hotmail.com
Many crustaceans inhabit estuarine ecosystems where they are frequently exposed to hypoxia. High levels of CO2 (hypercapnia) often occur in the presence of hypoxia, and both factors may impair the abilities of crustaceans to maintain optimal metabolic processes, preserve acid-base balance, and uphold immune defense against pathogens. Many of the strategies employed by marine crustaceans to cope with hypoxia and hypercapnia involve changes in transcription and translation of sets of genes, some of which may be uniquely linked to these stressors and some of which may be components of a common stress response in shrimp. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that stress responses of Litopenaeus vannamei to hypoxia (PO2 = 4.0 kPa, PCO2 < 0.06 kPa) and hypercapnic hypoxia (PO2 = 4.0 kPa, PCO2 = 1.8 kPa) are represented by unique transcriptional profiles as compared to normoxia (PO2 = 20 kPa, PCO2 < 0.06 kPa) or to each other. Shrimp were held for either 4 h or 24 h (n=9 per treatment and timepoint). At the end of the treatment period, gill and hepatopancreas were dissected and preserved. RNA isolated from hepatopancreas of individual animals was hybridized to custom oligonucleotide microarrays containing 22,000 unigenes expressed in L. vannamei. These results should contribute to a more detailed understanding of shared and unique gene sets involved in the crustacean stress response to environmental change. Supported by NSF IBN-0212921 and NOAA OHH at HML.
