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Justin Greer, Ph.D.

Justin is a Computational Biologist for the USGS, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA.

Science and Products

Mortality, morphology, and water chemistry for 6PPD-quinone exposed coho embryos

Understanding evolutionary processes that drive population dynamics is critical in ecology. Measuring the performance-density relationship in long-lived mammalian species demands long-term data, limiting the ability to observe such mechanisms. We tested density-dependent (intrinsic) and density-independent (extrinsic) drivers of body composition of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yello
By
Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Assessing cell line models for species differences in 6PPD-quinone sensitivity

Coho salmon have been shown to be highly sensitive to the tire transformation chemical 6PPD-quinone, with concentrations contained in stormwater sufficient to induce mortality in up to 90% of the entire fall coho run. Other salmonid species (chinook, sockeye, chum) are much less sensitive to 6PPD-quinone induced mortality. This data examines the varying species sensitivities across salmoids using
By
Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions.

Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions. Also included are water quality and chemical concentration data.
By
Columbia Environmental Research Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Effects of temperature on viral load, inclusion body formation, and host response in Pacific Herring with viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN)

ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of temperature on viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) progression under controlled conditions. Secondarily, this study was intended to evaluate the combined effects of temperature and VEN on the Pacific Herring Clupea palasii transcriptome.MethodsThe effects of temperature on VEN progression were assessed by waterborne exposur
Authors
Joanne Elizabeth Salzer, Justin Blaine Greer, Maya Groner, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob L. Gregg, Paul Hershberger
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Tire-derived transformation product 6PPD-quinone induces mortality and transcriptionally disrupts vascular permeability pathways in developing coho salmon

Urban stormwater runoff frequently contains the car tire transformation product 6PPD-quinone, which is highly toxic to juvenile and adult coho salmon (Onchorychus kisutch). However, it is currently unclear if embryonic stages are impacted. We addressed this by exposing developing coho salmon embryos starting at the eyed stage to three concentrations of 6PPD-quinone twice weekly until hatch. Impact
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Rachael F. Lane, John Hansen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Establishing an in vitro model to assess the toxicity of 6PPD-quinone and other tire wear transformation products

The tire wear transformation product 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ) has been implicated as the causative factor for broad scale mortality events for coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Highly variable sensitivity to 6PPDQ in closely related salmonids complicates efforts to evaluate the broader toxicological impacts to aquatic ecosystems. Our goals were to (1) validate the large range of in vivo species se
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Rachael F. Lane, John Hansen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Exposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol results in differential susceptibility of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to bacterial infection

Disease outbreaks, skin lesions, mortality events, and reproductive abnormalities have been observed in wild populations of centrarchids. The presence of estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds (EEDCs) has been implicated as a potential causal factor for these effects. The effects of prior EEDC exposure on immune response were examined in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exposed
Authors
Jessica Kristin Leet, Justin Greer, Cathy A. Richter, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Edward Spinard, Jacquelyn McDonald, Carla M. Conway, Robert W. Gale, Donald E. Tillitt, John Hansen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Brief oil exposure reduces fitness in wild Gulf of Mexico mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster released 3.19 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in 2010, overlapping the habitat of pelagic fish populations. Using mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)─a highly migratory marine teleost present in the GOM during the spill─as a model species, laboratory experiments demonstrate injuries to physiology and behavior following oil exposure. Howev
Authors
Lela S. Schlenker, John D. Stieglitz, Justin Blaine Greer, Robin Faillettaz, Chi Hin Lam, Ronald H. Hoenig, Rachael M. Heuer, Charles J. McGuigan, Christina Pasparakis, Emma B. Esch, Gabrielle M. Ménard, Alexandra L. Jaroszewski, Claire B. Paris, Daniel Schlenk, Daniel D. Benetti, Martin Grosell
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Expression plasticity regulates intraspecific variation in the acclimatization potential of a reef-building coral

Phenotypic plasticity is an important ecological and evolutionary response for organisms experiencing environmental change, but the ubiquity of this capacity within coral species and across symbiont communities is unknown. We exposed ten genotypes of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata with divergent symbiont communities to four thermal pre-exposure profiles and quantified gene expression b
Authors
Crawford Drury, Jenna Dilworth, Eva Majerová, Carlo Caruso, Justin Blaine Greer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

The developing zebrafish kidney is impaired by Deepwater Horizon crude oil early-life stage exposure: A molecular to whole-organism perspective

Crude oil is known to induce developmental defects in teleost fish exposed during early life stages (ELSs). While most studies in recent years have focused on cardiac endpoints, evidence from whole-animal transcriptomic analyses and studies with individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) indicate that the developing kidney (i.e., pronephros) is also at risk. Considering the role of the pro
Authors
Fabrizio Bonatesta, Cameron Emadi, Edwin R. Price, Yadong Wang, Justin Blaine Greer, Elvis Genbo Xu, Daniel Schlenk, Martin Grosell, Edward M. Mager
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Exposure to Deepwater Horizon crude oil increases free cholesterol in larval red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted over 2100 km of shoreline along the northern Gulf of Mexico, which coincided with the spawning season of many coastal species, including red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Red drum develop rapidly and are sensitive to crude oil exposure during the embryonic and larval periods. This study investigates the predictions from recent transcriptomic studies that
Authors
Victoria McGruer, Alexis J. Khursigara, Jason T. Magnuson, Andrew J. Esbaugh, Justin Blaine Greer, Daniel Schlenk
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

miR133b microinjection during early development targets transcripts of sardiomyocyte ion channels and induces oil-like cardiotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

Previous studies have shown that altered expression of a family of small noncoding RNAs (microRNAs, or miRs) regulates the expression of downstream mRNAs and is associated with diseases and developmental disorders. miR133b is highly expressed in mammalian cardiac and skeletal muscle, and aberrant expression is associated with cardiac disorders and electrophysiological changes in cardiomyocytes. Si
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Jason T. Magnuson, Victoria McGruer, Le Qian, Subham Dasgupta, David C. Volz, Daniel Schlenk
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Disruption of the Francisella noatunensis orientalis pdpA gene results in virulence attenuation and protection in zebrafish

Several Francisella spp. including F. noatunensis are regarded as important emerging pathogens of wild and farmed fish. However, very few studies have investigated the virulence factors that allow these bacterial species to be pathogenic in fish. The Francisella Pathogenicity Island (FPI) is a well-described, gene-dense region encoding major virulence factors for the genus Francisella. PdpA is a m
Authors
John Hansen, Karina Ray, Po-Jui Chen, Susan Yun, Diane G. Elliott, Carla M. Conway, Michael Culcutt, Maureen K. Purcell, Timothy J Welch, John Patrick Bellah, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Justin Blaine Greer, Esteban Soto
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)
Where the Rubber Meets the Road (and River)—Evaluating Impacts of Stormwater and Road Runoff on Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems

Where the Rubber Meets the Road (and River)—Evaluating Impacts of Stormwater and Road Runoff on Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems

Every day, millions of cars, and trucks drive along our nation’s roadways, many crossing streams and rivers as they go. Those driving may not consider...

Read Article
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.
Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.
Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) behavior is assessed following exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) behavior is assessed following exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank. Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study
Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibiting abnormal behaviors associated with exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibiting abnormal behaviors associated with exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Science and Products

Mortality, morphology, and water chemistry for 6PPD-quinone exposed coho embryos

Understanding evolutionary processes that drive population dynamics is critical in ecology. Measuring the performance-density relationship in long-lived mammalian species demands long-term data, limiting the ability to observe such mechanisms. We tested density-dependent (intrinsic) and density-independent (extrinsic) drivers of body composition of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yello
By
Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Assessing cell line models for species differences in 6PPD-quinone sensitivity

Coho salmon have been shown to be highly sensitive to the tire transformation chemical 6PPD-quinone, with concentrations contained in stormwater sufficient to induce mortality in up to 90% of the entire fall coho run. Other salmonid species (chinook, sockeye, chum) are much less sensitive to 6PPD-quinone induced mortality. This data examines the varying species sensitivities across salmoids using
By
Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions.

Physiological and molecular endpoints observed in juvenile largemouth bass in response to an estrogen (17α-ethinylestradiol) and subsequently a bacterial challenge (Edwardsiella piscicida) exposure under laboratory conditions. Also included are water quality and chemical concentration data.
By
Columbia Environmental Research Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Effects of temperature on viral load, inclusion body formation, and host response in Pacific Herring with viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN)

ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of temperature on viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) progression under controlled conditions. Secondarily, this study was intended to evaluate the combined effects of temperature and VEN on the Pacific Herring Clupea palasii transcriptome.MethodsThe effects of temperature on VEN progression were assessed by waterborne exposur
Authors
Joanne Elizabeth Salzer, Justin Blaine Greer, Maya Groner, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob L. Gregg, Paul Hershberger
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Tire-derived transformation product 6PPD-quinone induces mortality and transcriptionally disrupts vascular permeability pathways in developing coho salmon

Urban stormwater runoff frequently contains the car tire transformation product 6PPD-quinone, which is highly toxic to juvenile and adult coho salmon (Onchorychus kisutch). However, it is currently unclear if embryonic stages are impacted. We addressed this by exposing developing coho salmon embryos starting at the eyed stage to three concentrations of 6PPD-quinone twice weekly until hatch. Impact
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Rachael F. Lane, John Hansen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Establishing an in vitro model to assess the toxicity of 6PPD-quinone and other tire wear transformation products

The tire wear transformation product 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ) has been implicated as the causative factor for broad scale mortality events for coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Highly variable sensitivity to 6PPDQ in closely related salmonids complicates efforts to evaluate the broader toxicological impacts to aquatic ecosystems. Our goals were to (1) validate the large range of in vivo species se
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Rachael F. Lane, John Hansen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Kansas Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Exposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol results in differential susceptibility of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to bacterial infection

Disease outbreaks, skin lesions, mortality events, and reproductive abnormalities have been observed in wild populations of centrarchids. The presence of estrogenic endocrine disrupting compounds (EEDCs) has been implicated as a potential causal factor for these effects. The effects of prior EEDC exposure on immune response were examined in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) exposed
Authors
Jessica Kristin Leet, Justin Greer, Cathy A. Richter, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Edward Spinard, Jacquelyn McDonald, Carla M. Conway, Robert W. Gale, Donald E. Tillitt, John Hansen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Brief oil exposure reduces fitness in wild Gulf of Mexico mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster released 3.19 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in 2010, overlapping the habitat of pelagic fish populations. Using mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus)─a highly migratory marine teleost present in the GOM during the spill─as a model species, laboratory experiments demonstrate injuries to physiology and behavior following oil exposure. Howev
Authors
Lela S. Schlenker, John D. Stieglitz, Justin Blaine Greer, Robin Faillettaz, Chi Hin Lam, Ronald H. Hoenig, Rachael M. Heuer, Charles J. McGuigan, Christina Pasparakis, Emma B. Esch, Gabrielle M. Ménard, Alexandra L. Jaroszewski, Claire B. Paris, Daniel Schlenk, Daniel D. Benetti, Martin Grosell
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Expression plasticity regulates intraspecific variation in the acclimatization potential of a reef-building coral

Phenotypic plasticity is an important ecological and evolutionary response for organisms experiencing environmental change, but the ubiquity of this capacity within coral species and across symbiont communities is unknown. We exposed ten genotypes of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata with divergent symbiont communities to four thermal pre-exposure profiles and quantified gene expression b
Authors
Crawford Drury, Jenna Dilworth, Eva Majerová, Carlo Caruso, Justin Blaine Greer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

The developing zebrafish kidney is impaired by Deepwater Horizon crude oil early-life stage exposure: A molecular to whole-organism perspective

Crude oil is known to induce developmental defects in teleost fish exposed during early life stages (ELSs). While most studies in recent years have focused on cardiac endpoints, evidence from whole-animal transcriptomic analyses and studies with individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) indicate that the developing kidney (i.e., pronephros) is also at risk. Considering the role of the pro
Authors
Fabrizio Bonatesta, Cameron Emadi, Edwin R. Price, Yadong Wang, Justin Blaine Greer, Elvis Genbo Xu, Daniel Schlenk, Martin Grosell, Edward M. Mager
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Exposure to Deepwater Horizon crude oil increases free cholesterol in larval red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted over 2100 km of shoreline along the northern Gulf of Mexico, which coincided with the spawning season of many coastal species, including red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Red drum develop rapidly and are sensitive to crude oil exposure during the embryonic and larval periods. This study investigates the predictions from recent transcriptomic studies that
Authors
Victoria McGruer, Alexis J. Khursigara, Jason T. Magnuson, Andrew J. Esbaugh, Justin Blaine Greer, Daniel Schlenk
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

miR133b microinjection during early development targets transcripts of sardiomyocyte ion channels and induces oil-like cardiotoxicity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos

Previous studies have shown that altered expression of a family of small noncoding RNAs (microRNAs, or miRs) regulates the expression of downstream mRNAs and is associated with diseases and developmental disorders. miR133b is highly expressed in mammalian cardiac and skeletal muscle, and aberrant expression is associated with cardiac disorders and electrophysiological changes in cardiomyocytes. Si
Authors
Justin Blaine Greer, Jason T. Magnuson, Victoria McGruer, Le Qian, Subham Dasgupta, David C. Volz, Daniel Schlenk
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Disruption of the Francisella noatunensis orientalis pdpA gene results in virulence attenuation and protection in zebrafish

Several Francisella spp. including F. noatunensis are regarded as important emerging pathogens of wild and farmed fish. However, very few studies have investigated the virulence factors that allow these bacterial species to be pathogenic in fish. The Francisella Pathogenicity Island (FPI) is a well-described, gene-dense region encoding major virulence factors for the genus Francisella. PdpA is a m
Authors
John Hansen, Karina Ray, Po-Jui Chen, Susan Yun, Diane G. Elliott, Carla M. Conway, Michael Culcutt, Maureen K. Purcell, Timothy J Welch, John Patrick Bellah, Ellie Maureen Dalsky, Justin Blaine Greer, Esteban Soto
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)
Where the Rubber Meets the Road (and River)—Evaluating Impacts of Stormwater and Road Runoff on Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems

Where the Rubber Meets the Road (and River)—Evaluating Impacts of Stormwater and Road Runoff on Salmon and Aquatic Ecosystems

Every day, millions of cars, and trucks drive along our nation’s roadways, many crossing streams and rivers as they go. Those driving may not consider...

Read Article
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.
Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.
Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) behavior is assessed following exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Laboratory Studies.

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) behavior is assessed following exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank. Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study
Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibiting abnormal behaviors associated with exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Fisheries Research Center
Juvenile Coho Salmon in a tank.

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Coho Salmon 6PPD-Q Exposure Study

Juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) exhibiting abnormal behaviors associated with exposure to 6PPD-quinone, a derivative of the compound 6PPD which is used in tires to prevent wear.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Fisheries Research Center