PhD candidate: Deepti Manjari Patel

Title of thesis:
Characterization of skin immune and stress factors of lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus

Title of trial lecture:
Disease- and parasitic challenges in farmed salmonids – problems and solutions

Time of trial lecture: 10:15 - 11:15
Time of defence:  12:15 - 15:30
Place: Auditorium Petter Thomassen (A5)

Members of the evaluation committee:
- Adjunct Bjarnheiður K. Guðmundsdóttir, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Senior Research Scientist Bengt Finstad, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim
- Associate Professor Sylvie Bolla, FBA, Nord   universitet (leader).

Supervisory Committee: 
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Monica Fengsrud Brinchmann, FBA
Co-supervisor: 
Associate Professor Martin Haugmo Iversen, FBA

The PhD trial lecture and defence are open to the public. The thesis is available on request. Please contact Jeanett Stegen, email: jeanett.stegen@nord.no, phone: 75 51 74 49 

About the thesis:

Fish skin serves as first line of defence against an array of stressors and pathogens. Exploring the skin molecular factors helps to understand the biology and interaction of the proteins/genes in various pathways involved in stress response and disease.

The dissertation focuses on immune and stress related proteins/genes in the skin of the cleaner fish lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus. The lumpfish is a suitable biological tool for delousing compared to chemicals and theraputants that develop resistance in sea lice and affects the environment. In this PhD study, two-dimensional gel based proteomics and RNA sequencing technique was used to find out difference in skin under various physiological conditions. The skin proteins/genes expression level varies under certain conditions such as crowding or temperature acclimation. The differentially expressed proteins/genes identified in this study under crowding and temperature acclimation were involved in immune and stress responses in other teleosts species. Thus, could have potential to be used as stress markers in lumpfish as well which would help in establishing health and welfare regime in lumpfish farming.