Project description
Novel peptides from octopus
Currently, around 90 % of aquatic bacteria are resistant to at least one antibiotic. The EU-funded BIOPTAL project will address this threat to human health through a high-throughput protein search of a previously under-explored source of peptides, the cephalopods. As cephalopods evolve differently from almost every other organism, they may produce important peptides with antimicrobial or other important properties relevant to several industries. Using a multidisciplinary approach, researchers will conduct a broad screening of natural compounds. BIOPTAL will carry out in silico multi-omics analyses and in vitro tests to 'biodiscover' peptides from the common octopus as novel therapeutic solutions for combating the appearance and persistence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains in the aquaculture sector.
Objective
Scientific community is increasingly paying attention to new efficient preventive and therapeutic approaches aimed to limit the spread of classical and emergent microbial infections in animal farming, namely aquaculture. To date, several synthetic antimicrobial agents have been used to control bacterial infections in shellfish and fish cultured worldwide. However, around 90% of the aquatic bacteria are resistant to at least one antibiotic which will represent a threat to human health in a near future. Marine species compose around half of the total global biodiversity and considering their special living environment (in close contact with microbes), composition and properties (e.g. antibacterial, antiviral, antitumoral), these organisms have gained substantial importance as a “gold mine” of new natural bioactive compounds such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and toxins. Therefore, BIOPTAL “Bioactive Octopus peptides with potential to aquaculture” proposal will focus on high-throughput protein search from unparalleled and under-explored reservoirs of peptide diversity – cephalopods – and their putative targets, through a multidisciplinary research that contemplates in vivo experimental challenges as engines to assure a broad screening of natural compounds by accounting the fact that cephalopods evolve differently from almost every other organism. In fact, e.g. octopuses, routinely edit their RNA sequences to adapt to their environment. This means that some important peptides with antimicrobial or other relevant properties to several industries must only occur under particular conditions, that researchers do not assess without simulate that conditions at the lab. Thus, BIOPTAL will integrate challenges, in silico multi-omics analyses and in vitro tests in order to “biodiscovery” peptides as novel therapeutic solutions from common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) to fight the appearance and persistence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains in the aquaculture sector.
Fields of science
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesfisheries
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsRNA
- agricultural sciencesanimal and dairy sciencedomestic animalsanimal husbandry
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
30003 Murcia
Spain