Isolation of progenitor cells from the blubber of northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) in order to obtain an in vitro adipocyte model-preliminary results

Marine top predators are highly informative in understanding the quality and health of ocean habitats. Through bioamplification, they face a very large risk of exposure to toxic, persistent, and fat-soluble molecules such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dichlorodimethyltrichloroethane (DDT), and methylmercury, which are preferentially stored in the adipose tissue. The life history of pinnipeds often includes extended periods of fasting on land. This is particularly true for phocid seals such as northern elephant seal (NES) (Mirounga angustirostris). This species indeed exhibits one of the most extreme terrestrial fasting durations (up to 3 mo) corresponding to breeding, lactation, and molting for females, postweaning development for pups, and maintaining a territory or competing for dominance rank on the breeding rookery for males (Le Boeuf et al. 1972). During such periods, individuals mobilize primarily lipids from their large adipose tissue stores (Costa et al. 1986, Noren et al. 2003). This mobilization of blubber lipids presents a risk through the release of environmental pollutants into the circulation. Previous studies in fasting NES pups and females elucidated the mobilization dynamic