*A comprehensive miRNAome for cetaceans using non-lethal samples Cetacean genomes remain under-annotated in terms of miRNAs compared with organisms such as human or mouse. There are currently no cetacean miRNAs in the miRbase database. Considering the important regulatory roles miRNAs have, and their potential as health biomarkers, their proper characterization in cetaceans is one of our goals. Further, we aim to characterise the miRNAome specifically in samples collected non-lethally, with the overall aim to develop new non-invasive methods for the study of free-ranging cetaceans’ health.
*Identify miRNA signatures for normal physiological parameters
Gene expression and regulation is dynamic, and contextual information about sampled individuals (e.g., gender and reproductive status) is needed to understand typical versus atypical expression levels of specific miRNAs. This baseline information is therefore essential to accurately assess the ability of BlowOmics to develop health biomarkers. At the same time, these gender and pregnancy related miRNAs might also be present advantages to the current methods of gender and pregnancy determination in cetaceans’ blow.
*Identify miRNA signatures for immune health
Immune assays represent one of the most relevant indicators to detect subtle and/or sub-clinical effects of anthropogenic effects, such as pollutants, on wildlife health. However, traditional immune assays, e.g., lymphocyte proliferation (LP), rely on access to blood samples which are not accessible for the larger cetaceans creating a ‘significant knowledge need’ for the understanding of immunomodulation in cetaceans. Considering contaminant-mediated immune suppression has been quantitatively linked to disease host-resistance in controlled studies and could have effects at population level, a biomarker to detect if a population is vulnerable to immunotoxic effects of pollutants would transfigure this field.
*Supporting field work: sampling whale blow and taking biopsies from free-swiming whales in Norway
* Supporting lab work which can vary depending on interests and skills: RNA extractions; RNA quality control and quantification; Library preparation and sequencing; Differential expression analysis; immune assays; cell culture; qPCR; western blots
*Field work with drones and whales collecting blow samples and biopsies
*RNA extractions
*RNA quality control and quantification
*Library preparation and sequencing
* Differential expression analysis
*Cell culture
Compensation:
Erasmus + grant available depending on eligibility criteria of your home university
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
