Acronym EPIGEN-AQUA
Category
Aquaculture
Title Effects of external factors on reproduction and sex ratios in fish: Study of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in mediating responses to the environment 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 F. Piferrer Coordinator email piferrer@icm.csic.es
Coordinator institution
CSIC-ICM - Spanish National Research Council; Institut de Ciències del Mar (Spain)
Institutions involved
MICINN - Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spain) ,
NA - Not available (Singapore, Republic of) ,
NA - Not available (United States of America) ,
Start year 2011 End year 2014 Funding (€) € 190,000 Website NA Summary In a previous project, during the study of the of influence of ambient temperature on fish sex ratios, we discovered an epigenetic mechanism linking temperature with aromatase enzyme activity - responsible for estrogen synthesis and a key element in sex differentiation. Epigenetic mechanisms refer to the modifications of DNA that, nevertheless, do not imply changes in its nucleotide sequence. These alterations, mainly DNA methylation and histone modification, result in long-lasting changes in gene expression that, in addition, can be inherited. The objective of this project is to investigate the influence of environmental conditions on sex ratios, focusing on three main aspects: (1) Characterization of the effects of changes in developmental rates, modified either by variations in temperature or diet, on the gonadal transcriptome during the critical period of sex differentiation; (2) Analysis of DNA methylation patterns in the sea bass under different environmental conditions, also comparing wild vs. farmed fish; (3) Study of the underlying mechanisms implicated in DNA methylation. To the best of our knowledge, the planned studies have never been carried out in the context of research for aquaculture and, therefore, represent a novel approach. This project will provide new data on how the environment typical of intensive farming, and in critical stages during early development, can result in long-lasting influences on various aspects of the physiology of fish and, therefore, on their ultimate quality.
Keywords
Fish;
Fish reproduction;
Genetic;
Seabass;
Life cycle;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
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