Jarislowsky Chair Helps Transgenic Fish Sniff out Environmental Toxins

Posted October 04, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 4, 2004 2004-10-05-OTHER

Jarislowsky Chair Helps Transgenic Fish Sniff out Environmental Toxins

University of Saskatchewan cell biologist Pat Krone's fish can sense the
presence of cadmium within minutes, providing powerful new tools and a model
system to help researchers quickly assess the effect of environmental toxins
on wild fish.

Krone holds the Jarislowsky Chair in Biotechnology, created to promote
research and teaching in the interdisciplinary Virtual College of
Biotechnology and to help attract students and faculty to the field. The
appointments are for one year; Krone's has been renewed for a second.

The chair supports Krone's work with transparent zebrafish genetically
modified to carry a green fluorescent protein gene. The gene illuminates
toxin-induced stress in the inch-long tropical fish. The team has observed
that the damage shows up first in sensory organs like the nose.

"The sense of smell in fish is one of the biggest determinants of
behaviour," Krone says. "We know cadmium has very significant effects on
fish behaviour, but for years no one knew why."

The group has also observed damage in other sensory organs that have direct
contact with the water, such as the fish's lateral line organ that senses
vibration in the water.

Cadmium is a metal used in rechargeable batteries, yellow and red paint
pigments, and industrial processes such as electroplating. Cigarette smoke
is also high in this environmental toxin.

Krone and his research team, in collaboration with the University of
Michigan and Penn State University, were the first to use this transgenic
approach. A professor in the Anatomy and Cell Biology Department, Krone is
also a member of the Virtual College of Biotechnology and the Toxicology
Research Group.

He is also working with U of S Canada Research Chairs Graham George and
Ingrid Pickering to apply synchrotron X-ray techniques to determine the
chemical form of toxins like cadmium, arsenic and mercury, as well as where
they are stored in fish embryos. This is critical knowledge. Dimethyl
mercury, for example, is extremely lethal, while metallic mercury is much
less so.

As part of his program, Krone is developing hands-on laboratory sessions for
students to learn how to use the transgenic fish for toxicity testing, as
well as teaching modules on transgenic fish in general, for all uses from
food to research to pets.

Krone has also stepped up to the plate to inform the public on the subject,
including an interview with CBC-TV's Marketplace, discussing the regulatory
issues surrounding the arrival of transgenic "GloFish" designed with
fluorescent genes as a novelty pet.

The Montreal-based Jarislowsky Foundation was set up by Stephen Jarislowsky,
an engineer, financier, journalist and philanthropist who has endowed many
chairs at Canadian universities. The foundation provides $500,000 to match
with $500,000 from the Saskatchewan government to make up the $1 million
chair endowment. The first U of S Jarislowsky Chair in Biotechnology was
held by biologist Larry Fowke.

The Virtual U of S College of Biotechnology brings together a wide range of
scientific and social disciplines to deliver undergraduate degree programs,
graduate supervision and contributions to the public debate. In its first
three years, it has produced 45 graduates. For more information, visit:
http://biotechnology.usask.ca/.

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For more information, contact:

Pat Krone
Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-4089
pat.krone@usask.ca

Michael Robin
U of S Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research