Gudrun De Boeck

History

Member for

5 years 41 weeks

Professional information

Own research projects

• Comparative acclimatisation and adaptation physiology of fish exposed to environmental stress
• FISHGUARD: Impact assessment and remediation of anthropogenic interventions on fish populations
• Marine Teleosts and Elasmobranchs: differences in physiology lead to differences in sensitivity.
• Comparative Fish Physiology: Putting Feeding into the Picture.
• Anoxia resistance in vertebrates: metabolomics of brains en hearts that never stop.
• Identification and characterisation of urea transporters in the gills of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias.
• Defence mechanisms of fish with different sensitivity towards heavy metals: Interaction and dynamics of proteins and hormones
• Integrated performance trade off in cichlid heads: feeding versus mouth brooding.
• The changing world as a stressfull environment: combined effects of °T, O2, CO2 and NH3 on ionoregulation in fish

Participation in other projects

• Exposure routes and toxicokinetics of metals in the European sea bass: a molecular biological and physiological analysis
• Ecophysiology of Fish Migration and Human Impact
• Defence mechanisms of fish with different sensitivity towards heavy metals: Interaction and dynamics of proteins and hormones
• Impacts of feeding and cortisol on the ionoregulation of freshwater fish: influence of energy budget and hormone regulation

Position in the lab

Professor

Curriculum Vitae

After studying Biology at the Universities of Diepenbeek (LUC) and Leuven(KULeuven), I started my professional career at the Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology research group as a PhD student in December 1991. I finished my PhD entitled 'Physiological effects of sublethal copper exposure on the energy metabolism of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio' in June 1996 and joined the lab again as a postoctoral fellow after an intensive but fun postdoc at the lab of Chris Wood, Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
In March 2006 I was appointed as Research Professor Animal in Physiology (ZAP-BOF) in our research group.

As you can tell from the title of my PhD, my research focuses on effects of environmental factors (hypoxia, temperature, salinity, heavy metals, stress hormones...) on the energy metabolism and iono- and osmoregulation of fish. Species studied up to now are common carp, crucian carp, trout, zebrafish, gudgeon, spiny dogfish... but if you have a nice exotic species you'd like to study, I'm always prepared to help. Techniques used include measurements of critical swimming speeds and respiration rates, fuel utilisation, energy stores, blood electrolytes, blood gases and acid-base balance, NMR-spectroscopy and imaging, transporter enzymes, induction of protective proteins...

My present research examines the fact that different freshwater fish, even with the same life history and under identical exposure conditions, show a species specific resistance against different kinds of pollutants. We study sublethal effects of copper on three freshwater fish: the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and the crucian carp (Carassius carassius). The most hypoxia sensitive species, the rainbow trout, was also the most sensitive to copper intoxication, while the copper tolerance of the anoxia resistant crucian carp was about 7 times higher. The aim of our research is to unravel the physiological mechanisms that bring about these differences in vivo as well as in vitro. Since I love the marine environment, visits to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre ensure that I can keep working with the exceptional spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

By the way, I have a little girl Sam (° July 9th 2001) and a boy Robbe (° September 16th 2003) . They keep me busy, but they both enjoy the freshwater and the marine environment as well. They love catching shark at Bamfield! In my spare time, I like to travel around, preferably while driving my Ducati ST4s and enjoy playing basketball with the basketball-babes of BBC Haacht.

Online bibliography

http://anet.ua.ac.be/acadbib/uae/5813

Selected publications

Eyckmans M., C. Tudorache, V. Darras, R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2010. Hormonal and ion regulatory response in three freshwater fish species following waterborne copper exposure. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C 152: 270-278.

De Boeck G., M. Eyckmans, I. Lardon, R. Bobbaers, A. K. Sinha, R. Blust. 2010. Metal accumulation and metallothionein induction in the spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A155: 503-508.

Wood C.M., F.I. Iftikar, G.R. Scott, G. De Boeck, K.A. Sloman, V. Matey, F.X. Valdez Domingos, R. Mendonça Duarte, V.M.F. Almeida-Val and A.L. Val. 2009. Regulation of Gill Transcellular Permeability and Renal Function during Acute Hypoxia in the Amazonian Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus): New Angles to the Osmo-Respiratory Compromise. Journal of Experimental Biology 212: 1949-1964.

Tudorache, C., R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2008. Ammonia exposure affects fast start performance and predation behaviour in brown trout (Salmo trutta fario, L.). Aquatic Toxicology 90: 145-153.

S. Hashemi, P.S. Kunwar, R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2008. Differential metallothionein induction patterns in fed and starved carp (Cyprinius carpio) during waterborne copper exposure. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 27(10): 2154-2158.

Scott G.R., C.M. Wood, K.A. Sloman, F.I. Iftikar, G. De Boeck, V.M.F. Almeida-Val and A.L. Val. 2008. Respiratory Responses to Progressive Hypoxia in the Amazonian Oscar, Astronotus ocellatus. Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology 162: 109-116.

Tudorache, C., P. Viaenen, R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2008. A comparison of seven European freshwater fish species in terms of swimming capacity and energetics: adaptations to migration. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 17: 284-291.

Hashemi, S., R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2008. The effect of starving and feeding on copper toxicity and uptake in Cu acclimated and non-acclimated carp. Aquatic Toxicology 86: 142-147.

Tudorache, C., P. Viaenen, R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2007. Longer flumes increase critical swimming speeds by increasing burst-glide swimming duration in carp Cyprinus carpio, L. Journal of Fish Biology 71(6): 1630-1638.

Tudorache, C., R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2007. Swimming capacity and energetics of migrating and non-migrating morphs of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus L. and their ecological implications. Journal of Fish Biology 71(5): 1448-1456.

De Boeck, G., J. Hattink, N.M. Franklin, C.P. Bucking, S. Wood, P.J. Walsh, C.M. Wood. 2007. Copper toxicity in the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias): urea loss contributes to the osmoregulatory disturbance. Aquatic Toxicology 84: 133-141.

Knaepkens G., E. Maerten, C. Tudorache, G. De Boeck, M. Eens. 2007. Evaluation of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags for marking the bullhead (Cottus gobio), a small benthic freshwater fish: effects on survival, growth and swimming capacity. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 16 (3): 404–409.

Hashemi, S., R. Blust and G. De Boeck. 2007. The effect of food rations on the tissue specific copper accumulation patterns of sublethal waterborne exposure in Cyprinus carpio. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 26(7): 1507-1511.

De Boeck G., K. Van de Ven, W. Meeus and R. Blust. 2007. Sublethal copper exposure induces respiratory stress in common and gibel carp but not in rainbow trout. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C 144: 380-390.

De Boeck G., K. Van de Ven, and R. Blust. 2006. Swimming performance and energy metabolism of rainbow trout, common carp and gibel carp respond differently to sublethal copper exposure. Aquatic Toxicology 80: 92-100.

Hattink J., G. De Boeck, and R. Blust. 2006. Toxicity, accumulation and retention of Zinc by carp under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 25: 87-96.

Hattink J., G. De Boeck, and R. Blust. 2005. The toxicokinetics of cadmium in carp under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Aquatic Toxicology 75: 1-15.

De Boeck G., W. Meeus, W. De Coen and R. Blust. 2004. Tissue-specific Cu bioaccumulation patterns and differences in sensitivity to waterborne Cu in three freshwater fish: rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). Aquatic Toxicology 70: 179-188.

De Boeck G., T.T.H. Ngo, K. Van Campenhout and R. Blust. 2003. Differential metallothionein induction patterns in three freshwater fish during sublethal copper exposure. Aquatic Toxicology 65: 413-424.

De Boeck, G., D. Alsop and C.M. Wood. 2001. Effects of cortisol on fuel use and energy stores of the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Biochemical and Physiological Zoology 74(6): 858-868.

De Boeck, G., M. Grosell and C.M. Wood. 2001. Sensitivity of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) to waterborne silver exposure. Aquatic Toxicology 54: 261-275.

De Boeck, G., A. Vlaeminck, P.H.M. Balm, B. De Wachter, R.A.C. Lock and R. Blust. 2001. Morphological and metabolic changes in common carp, Cyprinus carpio, during copper exposure: direct effects of Cu2+ or indirect effects of plasma cortisol elevation? Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 20: 347-381.

De Boeck, G., A. Vlaeminck, A. Van der Linden and R. Blust. 2000. Salinity stress and resistance to hypoxic challenges in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio L). Journal of Fish Biology 57: 761-776.

De Boeck, G., A. Vlaeminck, A. Van der Linden and R. Blust. 2000. The energy metabolism of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) when exposed to salt stress: an increase in energy expenditure or effects of starvation? Biochemical and Physiological Zoology 73:102-111.

De Boeck, G., R. Borger, A. Van der Linden and R. Blust. 1997. Effects of sublethal copper exposure on muscle energy metabolism of common carp, measured by 31P-NMRS. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 16(4): 676-684.

De Boeck, G., A. Vlaeminck and R. Blust. 1997. Effects of sublethal copper exposure on copper accumulation, growth, food consumption, energy stores and nucleic acid content in common carp. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 33: 415-422.

De Boeck, G., G.E. Nilsson, A. Vlaeminck and R. Blust. 1996. Central monoaminergic responses to hypersalinity and temperature in common carp. Journal of Experimental Biology 199: 1605-1611.

De Boeck, G., G.E. Nilsson, U. Elofsson, A. Vlaeminck and R. Blust. 1995. Brain monoamine levels and energy status in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) after exposure to sublethal levels of copper. Aquatic Toxicology 33: 265-277.

De Boeck, G., H. De Smet and R. Blust. 1995. The effect of sublethal levels of copper on oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion in common carp, Cyprinus carpio. Aquatic Toxicology 32: 127-141.