Obiettivo Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world, since there is an increasing demand for fish protein to feed a growing global population, which cannot be met by fisheries. In order to ensure the sustainability of this sector it is critical to domesticate and selectively improve the major commercial fish species. To date, the genetic markers used in selective breeding of fish account only for a fraction of the observed phenotypic variation. EPIFISH is a scientifically innovative and timely project that will address fish domestication and selection from a new perspective using a multidisciplinary approach. The rapid pace of substantial phenotypic changes during adaptation to new environmental conditions in fish undergoing domestication raises the original hypothesis that epigenetic mechanisms are involved in this process. Thus, the overarching aim of EPIFISH is to ascertain the importance of epigenetics in fish domestication using the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as model species. Specific objectives are i) to determine how selection affects the miRNA transcriptome and the epigenetic landscape during domestication, ii) to perform a functional characterization of miRNA variants and epigenetic alleles associated with growth, and iii) to validate them as potential epigenetic markers for future selective breeding programmes. The identification of epigenetic markers will be a ground-breaking element of EPIFISH with major impact on aquaculture biotechnology, since they will enable the development and application of epigenomic selection as a new feature in future selective breeding programmes. Moreover, the project outcomes will provide novel mechanistic insights into the role of epigenetics in fish domestication, which will surely open new horizons for future frontier research in epigenetics, namely transgenerational inheritance and nutritional epigenetics. Campo scientifico agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesfisheriesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyichthyologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsRNAnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsepigenetics Parole chiave Nile tilapia domestication selective breeding miRNA DNA methylation Programma(i) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Argomento(i) ERC-CoG-2015 - ERC Consolidator Grant Invito a presentare proposte ERC-2015-CoG Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Istituzione ospitante NORD UNIVERSITET Contribution nette de l'UE € 1 996 189,00 Indirizzo UNIVERSITETSALLEEN 11 8026 Bodo Norvegia Mostra sulla mappa Regione Norge Nord-Norge Nordland Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Costo totale € 1 996 189,00 Beneficiari (1) Classifica in ordine alfabetico Classifica per Contributo netto dell'UE Espandi tutto Riduci tutto NORD UNIVERSITET Norvegia Contribution nette de l'UE € 1 996 189,00 Indirizzo UNIVERSITETSALLEEN 11 8026 Bodo Mostra sulla mappa Regione Norge Nord-Norge Nordland Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Partecipazione a programmi di R&I dell'UE Opens in new window Rete di collaborazione HORIZON Opens in new window Costo totale € 1 996 189,00
