Effect of crude oil on defence-relevant biomarker gene expression in early-life stage lumpfish

Bai, Yuze (2025) Effect of crude oil on defence-relevant biomarker gene expression in early-life stage lumpfish. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis investigated the response of early-life stage lumpfish (i.e., larval and juvenile) to crude oil at the mRNA level. A pilot study was conducted on juvenile lumpfish, which were exposed to five chemically-enhanced water-accommodated fraction (CEWAF) treatments for 24 h in a static system. Through multiple sequence alignment (MSA), phylogenetic and synteny analyses, five lumpfish aryl hydrocarbon receptor genes were studied and named following those in Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes). The results of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed significant induction for ahr1a, ahr2a and cyp1a1 in the liver of oil-exposed juvenile lumpfish. Based on these results, another exposure experiment was done on 50 days post-hatch lumpfish larvae in a similar exposure set-up, with two additional CEWAF treatments. The qPCR results indicated that the 24-h CEWAF exposure might modulate immune and redox function in larval lumpfish. Moreover, a Spearman correlation analysis and principal component analysis suggested that Ahr may affect the expression of genes involved in cardiovascular development and immune response. Collectively, these results provide new insight into the influence of acute crude oil exposure on the transcript levels of targeted genes in larval and juvenile lumpfish.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
URI: http://research.library.mun.ca/id/eprint/16766
Item ID: 16766
Additional Information: Includes bibliographical references -- Restricted until October 21, 2025
Keywords: Chemically-enhanced water-accommodated fraction (CEWAF) of crude oil, 24-h CEWAF exposure, Early-life stage lumpfish, Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis, Defence-related biomarker genes
Department(s): Science, Faculty of > Ocean Sciences
Date: November 2025
Date Type: Submission
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.48336/32cs-tm39
Library of Congress Subject Heading: Lumpfish--Effect of oil spills on: Lumpfish--Larvae--Effect of oil spills on: Lumpfish; Petroleum--Environmental aspects; Biochemical markers; Fishes--Phylogeny; Environmental toxicology

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