Catostomus commersonii, also known as the White Sucker, is a vital part of most aquatic ecosystems in the U.S. Specifically looking at the Upper Midwest, these fish are widely distributed around the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The importance of these organisms is due to their species reputation, they are indicator species that are very useful in informing whether the environment around them is healthy or if contamination has occurred. To better understand the organism, we needed to start at the molecular level. Understanding the nature of White Sucker cells through cell cultures. To get the individual fins of the White Sucker to flasks with growth media and begin to have the cells grow from the tissue. Through process of cell culturing, the cells differentiated from one another through each passage and adapted to different media to create contrasting growth rates. The differentiating cells were then characterized through DNA barcoding and examined for susceptibility to a variety of viruses to obtain better information about the multiple cell types from the fins of the White Suckerhttps://openriver.winona.edu/urc2018/1045/thumbnail.jp
