Acronym NA
Category
Marine Biotechnology
Title Precision Breeding for Viral Resistance Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Thomas Moen Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
NA
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2021 End year 2023 Funding (€) € 600,000 Website https://prosjektbanken.forskningsradet.no/en/project/FORISS/321428?Kilde=FORISS&distribution=Ar&chart=bar&calcType=funding&Sprak=no&sortBy=date&sortOrder=desc&resultCount=30&offset=30&Fag.2=Basale+biofag Summary This project deals with selective breeding for resistance to viral diseases in Atlantic salmon. AquaGen delivers eggs to salmon farmers in Norway and the rest of the world, originating from breeding populations that are selected for fast growth as well as robustness and disease resistance. We have previously shown that we can breed the salmon to become more resistant to viral diseases such as infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN), pancreas disease (PD), cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), and heart- and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI). In this project, we will “fine tune” our genomics-driven breeding program with regards to selection for viral resistance, by employing new and high-resolution methods within genomics and molecular biology. We will use these methods to take on some emerging virally induced disease problems. In the first work package, we will investigate whether there is heritable variation in the salmon’s resistance to Salmon Pox, an emerging disease caused by Salmon Gill Poxvirus. In the second work package, we will revisit the topic of resistance to IPN. New research has shown that some strains of the virus affects the fish in a different way to the virus variant that is most common. We need to establish whether the missing effect of the QTL applies for AquaGen’s population and methods of selection. Ways to accommodate the new strains of the virus in selection will be sought, should it turn out that these new strains are not affected by the QTL. In the last work package, we will investigate whether gene editing (CRISPR-Cas9) can be used to identify salmon genes which the virus needs to enter host cells. If such genes are found and if future legislations should permit the use of gene editing beyond research, completely resistant strains of salmon could potentially be produced through CRISPR-induced knock-out of broodstock animals.
Keywords
Engineering;
Fish health;
Salmon;
Selective breeding;
Fish;
Disease;
Genetic;
Genomic sequencing;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
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