Miette Jankowski | 2026 I.S. Symposium
Name: Miette Jankowski
Title: Assessing the Accumulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) to Determine the Impact of Urban Pollutants on the Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus)
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Advisor: Rebecca Williams
Freshwater ecosystems have become some of the most endangered habitats in the world due to urbanization and habitat destruction. The Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus) is an intolerant fish species that has been significantly affected by urbanization in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), leading to its endangerment in Canada, while maintaining a stable population in Ohio. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an urban pollutant that accumulate in sediment, impacting aquatic organisms and their CYP1A protein expression. Currently, there is no toxicological data associated with the Redside Dace that exists, warranting an investigation into the accumulation of PAHs in their habitats and their molecular impact on this species. Sediment samples were collected from three aquatic sites in Ohio and four sites in the GTA, and PAHs were quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which revealed no detection of any contaminants above the reporting detection limit. To determine how this species would be affected by PAHs in their environment, a group of Redside Dace was exposed to 10 ug/L of benzo[a]pyrene in a 96-hour acute exposure study, and subsequent CYP1A expression was examined. CYP1A expression in endogenous and experimental samples from this study were inconclusive. However, the application of an hFAB Rhodamine anti-actin antibody revealed expression, suggesting that optimization of the Western blot technique to detect CYP1A is necessary. Moving forward, the mechanisms driving the decline of the Redside Dace population need to be explored, and habitat parameters must be monitored to develop effective conservation strategies for their survival.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
