[All-postdocs] Bioseminar - Kaitlin Allen

[Ana Velez]

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Biology Department Seminar

Thursday, December 19, 2024 - 12:00 Noon

Kaitlin Allen
Postdoctoral Scholar, WHOI

Diving in a Dish: Cellular Mechanisms of Hypoxia and Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Seals
Marine mammals exhibit a range of physiological modifications which supported their return to the ocean. All marine mammals forage during apnea, necessitating a tolerance for declining blood oxygen tensions. The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) represents a tractable model for the study of extreme hypoxia tolerance in marine mammals, and a large body of research on whole organismal responses to diving exists in this species. Still, technological constraints prohibit investigations of the dynamic cellular mechanisms critical to diving in these animals. This presentation demonstrates the utility of a proliferative endothelial cell culture model in identifying novel molecular and cellular mechanisms supporting hypoxia and oxidative stress tolerance in a deep-diving marine mammal, the northern elephant seal. First, I evaluate the role of the canonical HIF-1 hypoxia signaling pathway in the seal arterial endothelial cell response to hypoxia, combining global transcriptional data with functional assays to identify blunted angiogenic signaling and increased glutathione synthesis as key factors in the response to hypoxia. Next, I demonstrate an intrinsic oxidative stress resistance in seal endothelial cells, likely driven by modified iron handling in these cells. Together, these studies expand our understanding of marine mammal physiology within the context of a natural tolerance to energetic constraints and highlight the utility of primary cell culture models for connecting cellular-level changes to whole organismal function.

HYBRID! In Person: Redfield Auditorium Zoom: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/97000865816 Meeting ID: 970 0086 5816 By phone: Find your local number: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/u/adIvMow3LQ

For questions, contact:

Ana María Vélez
Administrative Associate
Ph: (+1)(508)289-2334
[signature_1005462319]

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