• Login
    About WHOAS
    View Item 
    •   WHOAS Home
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    • Academic Programs
    • WHOI Theses
    • View Item
    •   WHOAS Home
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    • Academic Programs
    • WHOI Theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of WHOASCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesKeywordsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesKeywords

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Characterization of an aryl hydrocarbon receptor from a cetacean : an approach for assessing contaminant susceptibility in protected species

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Jensen_thesis.pdf (4.721Mb)
    Date
    2000-09
    Author
    Jensen, Brenda A.  Concept link
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4071
    DOI
    10.1575/1912/4071
    Keyword
    Marine pollution
    Abstract
    Some cetaceans bioaccumulate substantial concentrations of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAH) in their tissues, but little is known about the effects of such burdens on cetacean health. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related HAH cause toxicity via activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a member of the bHLH-PAS family of transcription factors. Differences in AHR structure and function are known to contribute to species-specific differences in susceptibility to HAH toxicity, and targets for HAH toxicity are related to the tissue-specific expression of AHR. The goal of these studies was to ascertain the potential for HAH effects in cetaceans by characterizing the AHR from the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas. The beluga AHR was characterized by its molecular structure, capacity for ligand binding, structure-binding relationships with various classes of HAH, as well as tissue-specific expression. These results show that: 1) in an in vitro system, the beluga AHR possesses binding affinities similar to AHRs of other mammals that are considered sensitive to toxic effects of HAH, 2) Structure-activity relationships are consistent with a common mechanism of coplanar HAH action among cetaceans and rodent species, and 3) the AHR protein is expressed in many tissues of the beluga, and is present at high levels in lymphoid organs, liver and lung. Together, these data suggest that cetaceans can be considered sensitive to the action of coplanar HAH. Further, using in vitro expressed proteins is a promising approach for addressing molecular and biochemical questions about PHAH toxicity in endangered and protected species where logistical and ethical concerns preclude testing in live animals.
    Description
    Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 2000
    Collections
    • WHOI Theses
    • Biology
    Suggested Citation
    Thesis: Jensen, Brenda A., "Characterization of an aryl hydrocarbon receptor from a cetacean : an approach for assessing contaminant susceptibility in protected species", 2000-09, DOI:10.1575/1912/4071, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4071
     

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      Laboratory measurements of the sound generated by breaking waves 

      Loewen, Mark Richard (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1991-12)
      Breaking waves dissipate energy, transfer momentum from the wind to surface currents and breaking enhances the transfer of gas and mass across the air-sea interface. Breaking waves are believed to be the dominant source ...
    • Thumbnail

      Carbon nanotube synthesis and detection : limiting the environmental impact of novel technologies 

      Plata, Desiree L. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2009-06)
      Driven by commercial promise, the carbon nanotube (CNT) industry is growing rapidly, yet little is known about the potential environmental impacts of these novel materials. In particular, there are no methods to detect ...
    • Thumbnail

      Comparative analyses of aryl hydrocarbon receptor structure and function in marine mammals 

      Lapseritis, Joy M. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2007-02)
      Marine mammals possess high body burdens of persistent organic pollutants, including PCBs and dioxin-like compounds (DLC). Chronic environmental or dietary exposure to these chemicals can disrupt the function of reproductive ...
    All Items in WHOAS are protected by original copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. WHOAS also supports the use of the Creative Commons licenses for original content.
    A service of the MBLWHOI Library | About WHOAS
    Contact Us | Send Feedback | Privacy Policy
    Core Trust Logo