H2020Индивидуална стипендия2021–2024

CORALCARE · CRISPR genome-editing of corals to understand the genetic response of corals to ocean warming

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2021-11-01 → 2024-10-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 281 827 €
Участници: 2
Схема: MSCA-IF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Генното редактиране с CRISPR/Cas9 се използва, за да се разбере кои конкретни гени помагат на коралите да издържат на затоплянето на океана. Това е важно, защото повечето коралови рифове изчезват поради топлинните вълни, което застрашава биоразнообразието и милиони хора.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

CRISPR genome-editing of corals to understand the genetic response of corals to ocean warming

Coral reefs are the rainforest of the ocean. They host the greatest biodiversity in the world and are estimated to directly support over 500 million people globally. Due to global changes, more than half of the world’s corals have been lost in the last three decades alone. The frequency and severity of heat waves and other disturbances has now exceeded the innate capacity of coral reefs to recover, which are in a poor condition on a global scale. If the threats to corals are not addressed, 70 to 90 percent of coral reefs could be gone within our lifetimes. It is urgently needed to understand the mechanisms of coral response to ocean warming to develop solutions to mitigate coral reef decline. Coral genetics is the science that studies DNA in corals, and it can help understand which genes have a role in the genetic adaptation of corals to heat. The CORALCARE research project is investigating an innovative genetic approach, CRISPR/Cas9, for coral conservation. CRISPR/Cas9 makes it possible to edit genes to reveal the role these play in mediating thermal adaptation in corals. The research project is also addressing the technical challenges of the current CRISPR/Cas9 technique in corals for achieving higher throughput gene study.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

The CORALCARE project studies the genetic response of corals to ocean warming. The world’s coral reefs are being severely impacted on a global scale by rising temperature that has led to increased coral bleaching and mortality. It is uncertain that these unique ecosystems will be able to adapt to this unprecedented pace of warming. Coral reefs are often referred as the ‘rainforest of the ocean’ and their potential loss puts an astounding EUR 9 trillion of biodiversity and ecosystem services at risk annually. The major goal for the management of coral reefs is to both predict the ability of natural coral populations to adapt to future climate change and to assist this evolution, in order to minimise their loss. However, assisted evolution requires a deep understanding of coral genetics, which is still in its infancy. This is why the overarching project aim is to understand genes and pathways that lead to thermal tolerance in corals. For the first time in the world, the cutting-edge genome-editing CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/dCas9 techniques will be developed in corals, and allow us to disrupt gene function as well as turn genes on or off, to identify thermotolerance-related functions. The project aim will be tackled by: (1) scaling-up the CRISPR/Cas9 method for high-throughput gene editing during the short annual coral spawning, and establishing the CRISPR/dCas9 method for gene regulation in corals; (2) editing corals using the two CRISPR methods to test the function of candidate genes. The research is topical and highly innovative in using CRISPR genetic engineering for functional genomics, which will strengthen Europe’s quality and attractiveness in R&I. To undertake this research, the early-career researcher who has expertise in evolutionary biology will receive training in CRISPR by world’s experts, and transfer knowledge to EU. This groundbreaking project will establish the Fellow as a prominent coral scientist who will lead Australian-French collaborative research.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT · MarseilleКоординаторФранция
THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE · TownsvilleАвстралия