RNA-Seq of Ninespine Stickleback and Alaska Blackfish Exposed to Persisistant Organic Pollutants
Alaska contains over 600 formerly used defense (FUD) sites, many of which serve as point sources of pollution. These sites are often co-located with rural communities that depend upon traditional subsistence foods, especially lipid-rich animals that bioaccumulate and biomagnify persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Many POPs are carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting compounds that are associated with various adverse health outcomes. As a result, elevated exposure to POPs from point sources of pollution may contribute to disproportionate incidence of disease in arctic communities. We used the BIOO NEXTflex Rapid Directional qRNA-Seq Kit to generate strand-specific RNA-Seq libraries from Ninespine Stickleback and Alaska Blackfish collected from contaminated sites in Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island), Alaska.