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Science / Health ANIMAL PROFILER - Download PDF USING DNA FINGERPRINTING TECHNIQUES USUALLY RESERVED FOR GRUESOME CRIME SCENES, TRENT UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS ARE COLLECTING NEW INFORMATION ABOUT CANADA’S WILDLIFE POPULATION AND THE CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES. By Melanie Chambers Deep in the heart of a research lab in Peterborough, Ontario, things are starting to look like an episode of the popular American television series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” But with one big difference. The Peterborough lab isn’t just catching criminals, it’s uncovering new ways to preserve wildlife and plants. Using only a garbage bag containing blood and a deer carcass, biologists at Trent University’s [1] Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory in Peterborough were able to uncover evidence that lead to nabbing three poachers in 1990. Their secret technique? DNA fingerprinting. Since the database was created in 1985, over 1,000 cases have involved DNA as evidence. But the Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory database, which extracts DNA from animal tissue and blood samples, isn’t just an enforcement tool. It uses genetics to understand wildlife population structure, disease management, and the conservation of endangered species. “It allows us to interpret if some populations are becoming isolated, or if there are more animals there than we originally thought,” says [2] Bradley N. White. White is the Director of the Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre (NRDPFC) at Trent University in Peterborough, and a Professor in the University’s Department of Biology. Having a comprehensive genetic database also allows researchers to track diseases in animals that are potentially lethal to humans. Currently, [3] Cathy Cullingham, a Ph.D. student specializing in molecular biology and genetics at Trent University, is helping to track the mechanism of the spread of rabies in raccoons. Over the last four years, more than 150 rabid raccoons have been found between Kingston and Cornwall, Ontario. “The objective of this study is to use the genetics of raccoon populations and the rabies virus to build an accurate model of how rabies spreads. It will aid in decision making meant to control and eliminate raccoon rabies.” This type of control becomes all the more important when we consider that raccoons, constantly pecking in our garbage cans, are becoming anurban animal. Toronto has one of the highest densities of raccoons in North America. It doesn’t take long to realize that the risk of exposing humans to diseases like rabies—through raccoons—is quite real. It’s also potentially fatal and costly. In fact, it costs up to US$3,000 per postexposure rabies vaccination in humans. To save endangered and threatened species, the NRDPFC is profiling about a dozen species including wolves, moose, deer, black bears, caribou, and elk. These profiles will help manage information on the impact of roads, as well as the effect of urban expansion on each species’ population. But it’s the use of [4] robots that help to make the NRDPFC seem like a
science fiction movie. The robots can organize and extract thousands of
DNA from tissue samples in a matter of days. “If I had done that many
samples in graduate school 10 years ago, it probably would have taken
two to three years to finish the job by hand,” recalls [5] Paul Wilson an Wilson and his colleagues are excited about the future of DNA profiling,
which they both say is cutting edge and revolutionary. “When I got here
in 1997, this would not have been the place to come for DNA research,”
says Wilson. “But since then, based on what we have managed to accomplish, [1] Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory
[2] Dr. Bradley N. White Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, and Director of the Natural Resources
DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre, Trent University; Canada Research Chair in Conservation For 15 years, Bradley White has run the Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory. The laboratory began at Queen’s University in 1988, moved to McMaster University in Hamilton in 1990, and then to Trent University in 1997. In 1990, White testified in court during the second-ever trial using animal DNA to convict poachers. This case set the precedent for using DNA for wildlife in Ontario provincial courts. Similar to human DNA that can identify a person’s ethnicity and race, animal DNA can indicate an animal’s habitat. For instance, a bear from Asia is different than a bear from Northern Ontario. If hunters were illegally hunting, DNA can pinpoint where the animal came from. “Our goal is put genetic data into a permanent archive. That way someone can go back 10 to 20 years from now and go to a specific region in the province and ask questions about the bears or turkey in that region.” This research and statistics will aid in directing better animal management and policies. “Landscape that is fragmented from roads and urban development can lead to changes both in the number of animals and the way the animals can mate.” [3] Cathy Cullingham Bachelor of Science specializing in molecular biology and genetics, University of Guelph. Under the supervision of Dr. Bradley White, Cullingham is pursuing her Ph.D. at Trent University. Her work involves genetic analysis of an endangered species in Canada—namely the Swift fox—and the spreading mechanisms of raccoon rabies in North America. “After I began working on this project, I realized that the importance of DNA typing technology reaches far beyond the field of forensic science.Using genetics to understand wildlife population structure has many important applications, from disease management to the conservation of endangered species.” [4] Robots Originally used for manufacturing purposes, these robotic darlings made by CRS Robotics in Burlington, Ontario, are now mainstays in life science and pharmaceutical labs across Canada. At Trent University, two CRS robots are used to profile animal and plant DNA. Today, instead of tubes, samples are placed on micro plates in groups of 96, which take a robot about 45 minutes to extract DNA from the samples. By hand it would take weeks. How does it work? One robot platform extracts the DNA from the sample, blood, tissue, hide, leaves, or hairs, using magnetic beads that bind DNA. The second robot platform amplifies segments of the DNA sample and labels them using fluorescent tags. Other automated instruments will sequence the DNA and put all the new genetic information into the GIS-based database. Today, samples must be moved from one room to the other by humans, but in the new DNA Partnership Building they’ll be integrated and will require no human intervention. [5] Dr. Paul Wilson Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, In 2001, Paul Wilson finished his Ph.D. called “An Assessment of DNA markers in Reconstructing the History of Natural Populations.” In 1997, he arrived at Trent University to set up the forensic laboratory under Bradley White.Since becoming a faculty member three years ago, Wilson spends part of his time assessing DNA profiles in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to examine genetic associations, movements, and geographic patterns. “Canadians feel a responsibility to conserve our natural resources for future generations as evidenced by the recent passing of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The nation is taking the conservation of this irreplaceable resource more seriously.” BENEFITS The landscape DNA database has a variety of applications. Not only does it allow for better management of our natural resources, the database helps monitor overall environmental health and how that affects humans says Paul Wilson, Assistant Professor at Trent University’s Department of Biology and a Research Scientist at Trent’s Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre (NRDPFC). The NRDPFC is currently looking at polar bear populations and the effect of climate change on them.“Polar bears are a good indicator species in terms of global conditions that are going to impact people.” What are some other benefits of the database? In Ontario, selling wild game for commercial use is illegal. Because the meat has not gone through inspections, it poses a health risk to the public. Yet the game still makes its way into cities. “Sometimes deer or moose meat is found in sausage—where you can mask it by spicing it up with honey or garlic,” says Bradley N. White, Director of the NRDPFC and a professor at Trent University’s Department of Biology. “The database can help investigators track down where the meat came from and eliminate the risk to consumers.” In the future, investigators will be able to pinpoint the origin and spread of animal and forest diseases using the NRDPFC database. For instance, if Canada had a national cow DNA database, determining where mad cow disease originated would be faster and more reliable than present tracking approaches. Using today’s system, tags monitor each animal. But tags can fall off. The database could also be used to assess the impacts of urbanization and further road development. “We’re intrigued with what the 401 and the median wall from Toronto to Brockville are doing to isolate populations,” says White. “As Toronto moves north and roads are more significant to North Bay, it’s less likely that large mammals like bears and wolves will survive in Ontario because of population fragmentation.” The NRDPFC infrastructure is also opening up new avenues for researchers. The Centre provides research facilities for more than 12 faculty members at Trent University (Biology, Environmental esource Studies, Nursing, Chemistry, Anthropology, and Forensic Science departments) and Fleming College, as well as scientists from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. PARTNERS The Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre works with a number of groups from the academic, private, and government sectors. Each summer, the Ontario Provincial Police partners with youth at CSI Peterborough, a DNA Camp at Trent University. “They set up mock murder scenes and help the kids,” says White. Conversely, Trent University has provided a scientific methods course for OPP dentification Officers, which teaches officers how to apply statistical approaches to analyze finger, shoe, and tire prints. The reciprocal relationship extends to the commercial sector. Maxxam Analytics Inc, which helps with research and DNA extraction, also pro- files the overflow of DNA for crime cases coming from the RCMP. LEARN MORE For more information about Dr. Bradley White’s research: DNA Profiling and Forensic Science Research Centre PowerPoint presentation To learn more about the forensic science program and other faculties using DNA profiling: www.trentu.ca To see how species benefit from DNA profiling, visit: www.mnr.gov.on.ca Find out more about how the private and local sectors are using DNA profiling in everyday life: www.dnapeterborough.ca |
