Prøveforelesning og disputas - MSc in Biotechnology Thomais Tsoulia

Later, at 11:30 she will defend her thesis entitled:

"Transcriptional responses to Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) and stress hormones in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) red blood cells"

Gun Peggy Strømstad Knudsen, Director General of the Norwegian Institute, will lead the disputation.

Popular Science Summary

A major cause of mortality in salmonid aquaculture is the combination of viral infection and handling stress. Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) caused by Piscine orthoreovirus-1 (PRV-1), is a serious disease of farmed Atlantic salmon, and nucleated red blood cells (RBCs) are main PRV target cells. We hypothesized that RBC responses to PRV and stress hormones could be used to predict disease outcome. RNA sequencing showed that RBCs induce distinct responses to PRV compared to non-susceptible salmon cell lines. Responses to pathogenic PRV-1 and non-pathogenic PRV-3 differed, showing a delay for PRV-1 that may enable heart infection and HSMI. RBCs also responded to stress hormones, leading to inhibition of antiviral immune genes. These findings show that RBC gene expression may have diagnostic value for fish health management. 

Evaluation Committee:

• Professor Samuel Allen Martin, University of Aberdeen, UK (1. opponent)
• Professor Gyri Teien Haugland, University of Bergen (2. opponent)
• Dr. Roy Dalmo, Norwegian College of Fishery Science (internal member and leader of the committee)

Supervisors:

• Professor Maria Krudtaa Dahle, Norwegian College of Fishery Science and Norwegian Veterinary Institute
• Researcher Dr Øystein Wessel, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
• Researcher Dr Mona Gjessing, Norwegian Veterinary Institute
• Professor Jorunn Jørgensen, Norwegian College of Fishery Science

Streaming site

Both the defense and the trial lecture will be streamed and recorded from this site.

Thesis

The thesis is available through Munin