Reprogram · Nutritional epigenetic programming of gut mucosal health in first-feeding fish
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-06-01 → 2023-05-31
- EU contribution
- €175,572
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Nutritional epigenetic programming of gut mucosal health in first-feeding fish
Aquaculture is expected to provide 70% of the fish for human consumption by 2030, as most wild fisheries are either stagnant or grossly over-exploited. To meet future global food demands, aquaculture is expected to intensify production, delivering fish that will have to thrive at high densities in less space. Such intensification can compromise the capacity of fish to respond to pathogens, making them more susceptible to diseases. Enhancing fish immunity and disease resistance is a solution towards sustaining the fast-growing aquaculture sector. Shaping fish health during the critical window of early life to achieve immune competence later in life- the aim of Reprogram – can be a step towards better aquaculture health management. The project aims to explore the concept of nutritional programming using dietary ingredients to enhance gut mucosal health during the first-feeding stages when fish still lack a fully mature immune system. The ultimate aim is to assess the interaction and relative roles of immune-related genes, gut microbes and nutritional programming on subsequent resistance to pathogens. Specifically, the focus is on applying natural dietary immunomodulating ingredients to improve fish disease resistance. As the implications of such ingredients during the early life stages via nutritional programming have not been extensively explored, evaluating the potential of early life programming of fish immune-competence is of great importance for increasing fitness throughout life.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The growing world population, combined with over-exploited fisheries, indicates that by the year 2030 aquaculture should provide 70% of the fish protein required for human consumption. The potential of early life programming of fish health, by diet-induced changes, could be an important step towards better health management in aquaculture and to promote the need for intensification. The aim of Reprogram is to epigenetically program fish health during the critical early life window to maintain broad immune competence. Evidence suggests that the effect of certain nutrients on the intestinal microbiota can induce epigenetic reprogramming of innate immune cells with long-term positive effects on health. Early epigenetic nutritional programming by butyrate, will be evaluated in first-feeding stages of Nile tilapia, exploring the potential of this dietary additive to enhance gut mucosal health in a fish species important to aquaculture. The project will integrate research methodology relevant to several disciplines including fish immunology, nutrition and microbiology and employ advanced biological approaches such as a germ-free system, to assess dietary effects on the gut microbiome. Reprogram will familiarise the candidate with state-of-the-art genomic approaches, for transcriptome and epigenome by next-generation sequencing nanopore and chromatin immunoprecipitation technology, and with effects on the fish immune system. Hosting, by both a world-class university and at one of the world’s first certified sequencing providers of Oxford Nanopore Technologies (secondment), will increase the potential of the researcher to reach professional maturity during the fellowship. Dissemination of the project results to a wide audience, including a non-profit organisation relevant to worldwide aquaculture, will complement the already excellent career path of the candidate and facilitate her acquisition of a stable research position in Europe.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY · WageningenCoordinatorNetherlands
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101029186
- https://www.wur.nl/en/project/nutritional-epigenetic-programming-of-gut-mucosal-health-in-first-feeding-fish.htm
Data: CORDIS, © European Union