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Identification and Isolation of Stress RelatedGenes in Grey(
 Eschrichtius robustus
) and Fin Whales(
 Balaenoptera physalus
)
FISH 495 Research Paper
Christin McLemoreJune 04, 2009School of Aquatic and Fishery ScienceUniversity of WashingtonBox 355020Seattle, WA 98195
 
 
Abstract
 
Marine mammals such as cetaceans have been a symbol of traditional andmodern day Pacific Northwest for centuries, from Native American aspects of divinity to current day elementary school mascots. Most of these majesticsymbols include Beluga whales (Delpinapterus leucas), Killer whales (OrcinusOrca), Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus),and all of which fall under two suborders of the Order Cetacea, Odontoceti (toothwhales) and Mysticeti (baleen whales). Odontoceti and Mysticeti have diverseecosystems from as far south as the coast of California to the most northernlatitudes in the Arctic Ocean. For over a decade, concerns over pollutants, climatechanges and diseases in the ecosystems have played an important role in causing adecrease in populations of cetaceans. Currently, a majority of efforts to identifyenvironmental stress in cetaceans are the development of functional assays andmolecular techniques. In this study, we will be identifying and isolating stressrelated genes from Grey and Fin whale tissue.
Introduction
The North Pacific is home to over 80 species of cetaceans which are composed of whales,dolphins, and porpoises (Stoneg et al. 1990). Some of the most well known cetaceans of the North Pacific are Beluga whales (Delpinapterus leucas), Killer whales (Orcinus Orca), Graywhales (Eschrichtius robustus), Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), and all of which fall under two suborders of the Order Cetacea, Odontoceti (tooth whales) and Mysticeti (baleen whales).Odontoceti and Mysticeti species are wide-ranging and respond to the variability in marineecosystems by changes in distribution patterns (Forney 2000).Odontoceti, such as Beluga whales and Killer whales, have many types of distribution andmigratory patterns. Beluga whales migrate very small distances from the coastal shores of  Northern America to the open waters of the Arctic Ocean. During the summer Belugas takeadvantage of the coastal waters to feed and rear their calves and later are seen in groups in theopen Arctic during winter. Killer whales distribution patterns can be seen throughout the world’s
 
oceans, though they are more abundant in cooler waters (Baird 2002). Killer whales seem tomigrate in a pattern that allows them to follow their prey, but not to find suitable breeding andrearing sites like other odontoceti's and mysticeti.Unlike Odontoceti, the distribution and migratory patterns of Mysticeti include the longestknown annual movements of any mammal (Figure 1) (Stone et al. 1990). Fin whales use thenorthern and southern hemisphere to feed and subtropical areas near California to breed and rear their young. In comparison Gray whales have a very distinct migration that follows the same pattern year after year. Gray whales migrate annually between summering areas extending fromthe Pacific Northwest to Alaska, feeding on epibenthic amphipods, planktonic mysid shrimp andcrab larvae (Reeves. 1987), and then migrate to wintering areas that extend from southernCalifornia to Mexico (Moore, 2008) to breed and rear their calves.Figure 1: Map of the North Pacific showing the distribution and migration route of the eastern North Pacific population of grey whales. (Reeves 1987)
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