Introductory seminar: "Skin barrier function regulation in response to the external environment in rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon"

Michelles main supervisor is Henrik Sundh, with Darragh Doyle as co-supervisor and Malin Celander as examiner, all from Bioenv.

Short presentation
Global aquaculture production is increasing and creating a growing need for sustainable practices that ensure fish health and welfare. The skin is a primary epithelial barrier in teleost fish and forms a critical interface between the organism and its environment, and its integrity is essential for good fish health and welfare. Tight junctions regulate paracellular permeability and are responsible for maintaining epithelial integrity, yet their location and regulation in stratified fish epithelia remain poorly understood. The main points within my PhD project are therefore to investigate skin barrier function in rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, focusing on regulation in response to salinity variation, pathogen exposure, sea lice infestation and delousing treatments. I will use the Ussing chamber technique to measure barrier function as transepithelial electrical resistance under controlled salinity and ion substitution conditions and will analyze tight junction morphology using transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, I want to look at the regulation of barrier function during bacterial exposure within the external environment.