PENNY SWANSON Program Manager, Physiology Northwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service 2725 Montlake Blvd. East Seattle, WA 98112 Phone: 206-860-3282 Fax: 206-860-3267 Email:penny.swanson@noaa.gov   Ph.D. 1986, University of Washington, Zoology RESEARCH INTERESTS: Fish Reproduction RESEARCH SUMMARY: A major emphasis of the fish reproduction group within the Physiology Program at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center is to improve our understanding of the environmental and endocrine control of reproduction in salmon. Our basic research aims to reveal the functions of pituitary gonadotropins in regulating early stages of gametogenesis and the endocrine mechanisms whereby metabolic status influences puberty onset in fish. Our applied work is directed toward improving effectiveness of captive breeding programs for endangered stocks of Pacific salmon by developing rearing regimes to reduce early age of puberty in males and improve fertility of adults. These studies are largely focused on determining how growth at critical phases of the life cycle influence age of maturity, fecundity, egg size, and gamete quality. Since growth is influenced by food availability, food quality, temperature and genetics, these research results have implications for understanding the impacts of hatchery practices, habitat quality, and global warming on the fitness of salmon, whether they are wild or hatchery fish. More recently, we have initiated a new line of research that examines how a variety of chemical contaminants (e.g. pharmaceuticals, flame retardants) disrupt the thyroid and reproductive systems of salmon and laboratory model species such as, zebrafish and fat head minnows.   REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS: Baker, D. M., D. A. Larsen, P. Swanson, and W. Dickhoff. 2000. Long term peripheral treatment of coho salmon (Onchorhynchus kisutch) with human recombinant leptin has no clear physiologic effect. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 118:134-138. Baker, D.M., Davies, B., Dickhoff, W.W. and Swanson, P. 2000. Insulin-like growth factor I increases follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) content and gonadotropin-releasing hormone-stimulated FSH release from coho salmon pituitary cells in vitro. Biol. Reprod. 63:865-871. Devlin, R.H., Swanson, P., Clarke, W.C., Plisetskaya, E., Dickhoff, W., Moriyama, S., Yesaki, T.Y., and Hew, C.L. 2000. Seawater adaptibility and hormone levels in growth-enhanced transgenic coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. Aquaculture 191:367-385. Dickey, J.T. and Swanson, P. 2000. Effects of salmon gonadotropin-releasing hormone on follicle stimulating hormone secretion and subunit gene expression in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Gen Comp Endocrinol. 118:436-49. Jackson, L.F., Swanson, P., Duan, C., Fruchtman, S. and Sullivan, C.V. 2000. Purification, characterization, and bioassay of prolactin and growth hormone from temperate basses, genus Morone. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 117:138-150. Planas, J. V., Athos, J., Goetz, R. and Swanson, P. 2000. Regulation of ovarian steroidogenesis in vitro by gonadtropins during sexual maturation in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Biol. Reprod. 62:1263-1269. Shearer, K. D. and P. Swanson. 2000. The effect of whole body lipid on early sexual maturation of one-plus age male chinook salmon. Aquaculture 190:343-367. Shimizu, M., P. Swanson, W. W. Dickhoff. 2000. Comparison of extraction methods and assay validation for salmon Iinsulin-like Factor I Using Commercially Available Components. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 119:26-36. Bauchat, J. R., Busby, W.H., Garmong, A., Swanson, P., Moore, J., Lin, M, and Duan, C. 2001. Biochemical and functional analysis of a conserved IGF-binding protein isolated from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatoma cells. J. Endocrinology 170: 619-628. Weltzien, F.-A., Norberg, B. and Swanson, P. 2002. Isolation and Characterization of FSH and LH from Pituitary Glands of Atlantic Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. In press Weltzien, F.-A., Norberg, B., Swanson, P., Helvik, J. V., Andersen, Ø., and Andersen, E. Andersson Identification and localization of eight distinct hormone-producing cell types in the pituitary of male Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus L.) Comp Biochem. Physiol. In press Shimizu, M., Swanson, P., Hara, A., and Dickhoff, W.W. 2002. Purification of 41 kDa insulin-like growth factor binding protein from serum of chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Gen Comp Endocrinol. accepted Berejikian, B. A., Fairgrieve, W.T., Swanson, P., Tezak, E.P. 2002. Current velocity and injection of GnRHa affect reproductive behavior and body composition of captively reared chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha.) Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. submitted Campbell, B., Dickey, J.T., and Swanson, P. 2002. Endocrine changes during onset of puberty in male spring chinook salmon (Oncorhnchus tshawytscha). Biol. Reprod. In prep (to be submitted October 2002) Dickey, J.T., Campbell, B., Beckman, B.R., and Swanson, P. 2002. Plasma levels of gonadotropins, androgens and insulin like growth factor I, and expression of pituitary gonadotropin subunits during spermatogenesis in coho salmon (Oncorhnchus kisutch). Biol. Reprod. In prep (to be submitted October 2002) Swanson, P., Dickey, J.T., Rand-Weaver, M., Blackman, B. and Millar, R.P. 2002. Partial cDNA cloning and expression of two types of pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors during spermatogenesis in coho salmon (Oncorhnchus kisutch). Biol. Reprod. In prep (to be submintted Nov. 2002) Shearer, K. D., Campbell, B., Beckman, B.R., Parkins, P., Dickey, J.T. and Swanson, P. 2002. The effects of growth rate and a low fat diet on the incidence of early sexual maturation in male spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Aquaculture in prep Campbell, B., Dickey, J.T., and Swanson, P. (2003). Endocrine changes during onset of puberty in male spring chinook salmon (Oncorhnchus tshawytscha). Biol. Reprod. 69:2109-2117. Swanson, P., Dickey, J.T., and Campbell, B. (2003). Advances in the biochemistry and physiology of fish gonadotropins. Fish Phys. Biochem. 28:53-59. Shearer, K. D., Campbell, B., Beckman, B.R., Parkins, P., Dickey, J.T. and Swanson, P. (2006). The effects of growth rate and a low fat diet on the incidence of early sexual maturation in male spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Aquaculture 252:545-5567. Campbell, B., Beckman, B.R., Fairgrieve, W., Dickey, J.T., and Swanson. P. (2006). Reproductive investment and growth history in the coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 135:164-173. Campbell, B., Dickey, J.T., Beckman, B., Young, G., Pierce, A., Fukada, H., and Swanson, P. (2006) Previtellogenic oocyte growth in salmon: Relationships among body growth, plasma insulin-like growth factor-I, estradiol-17b, follicle-stimulating hormone and expression of ovarian genes for insulin-like growth factors, steroidogenic-acute regulatory protein and receptors for gonadotropins, growth hormone and somatolactin. Biol. Reprod. in press Kutsukabe, M., Nakamura, I., Evans, J., Swanson, P. and Young, G. (2006) Changes in mRNAs encoding steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, steroidogenic enzymes, and receptors for gonadotropins during spermatogenesis in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) testes. J. Endocrinol. 189:541-554.