The Big C in the Sea
The Big C in the SeaHave you ever wondered if fish get sick? Well, like humans, fish also have a liver and other internal organs that are just as susceptible to a number of disease conditions. Scientists can use the level of fish disease to both assess the health of the marine environment and to offer an insight into innovative ways to tackle human diseases.
Cefas scientists within the Pathology and Parasitology team are assessing the health of the UK’s marine environment under the auspices of the Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP), which undertakes a variety of measurements on sediments, water and fish. As part of the CSEMP, they have observed high numbers of cancer (up to 25%) in flatfish sampled from sites in the North Sea and areas in the Irish Sea, such as in Cardigan Bay.
“The study of cancer in wild fish provides scientists with an important tool for monitoring the health of the marine environment. Cancer is the biological endpoint to many of the sub-clinical ‘biomarkers’ that are used to assess health status in fish. Consequently, understanding the prevalence and distribution of cancer provides a high-level overview of the health status at the population and ecosystem level.” Dr Brett Lyons.
These tumours show clear similarities with human liver cancer. Their presence made Cefas scientists ask: ‘What are the environmental stressors that cause such high numbers?’ To help them to find an answer they are applying new technologies such as ‘proteomic’ techniques – hailed as the next frontier in molecular biology.
“Proteomics enables researchers to compare the thousands of proteins found in cancer tissue to those found in normal tissue. Potentially, this will lead to the identification of ‘protein profiles’ that are characteristic of particular stressors. These protein profiles or ‘biomarkers’ can be measured to pinpoint the specific causes within the environment, such as exposure to cancer causing agents or endocrine-disrupting chemicals that might be responsible for changes in the tissue.” Dr Grant Stentiford.
The scientists also hope to show that changes occurring during cancer development in fish and other animals will potentially be directly comparable with those occurring in humans. Fish tumours are very similar to those that occur in higher animals. That is why fish have gained an increasing amount of attention over the past 30 years as useful models for cancer research.
Cefas scientists are collaborating with experts from the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Institute for Cancer Studies at the University of Birmingham because of the apparent similarity between the liver cancers present in the fish collected under the CSEMP and those appearing in humans. By observing the sub-cellular changes occurring within these cancers, it may be possible to identify common biomarkers. These in turn may aid disease identification that could lead to possible future treatments.
For more information, contact Drs Stephen Feist (steve.feist@cefas.co.uk), Brett Lyons (brett.lyons@cefas.co.uk) or Grant Stentiford (grant.stentiford@cefas.co.uk). Drs Brett Lyons and Grant Stentiford will be presenting this research at the BA science festival (2–9 September, Norwich) session “Should I eat fish?”. (http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/Events/FestivalofScience/)
Additional information:
Cefas scientists have been monitoring fish health as part of the Clean Seas Environmental Monitoring Programme (CSEMP) formally known as the National Marine Monitoring Programme.
G.D. Stentiford, P.J. Johnson, A. Martin, W. Wenbin, D.G. Ward, M. Viant, B.P. Lyons and S.W. Feist (2005). Liver tumours in wild flatfish: a histopathological, proteomic and metabolomic study. OMICS A Journal of Integrative Biology, 9, No3, 281-299.
Ward, D. G.; Wei, W.; Cheng, Y.; Billingham, L. J.; Martin, A.; Johnson, P. J.; Lyons, B. P.; Feist, S. W.; Stentiford, G. D (2006). Plasma proteome analysis reveals the geographical origin and liver disease status of dab (Limanda limanda) from UK marine waters. Environmental Science and Technology. 40(12); 4031-4036.
