NEMO-FISH · Harnessing Natural Epigenetic Modifiers Across Evolutionarily Diverse Farmed Fish for Steering Phenotypes Toward Sustainable Aquaculture

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Project objective

Aquaculture is essential to meet the rising global demand for seafood, with Europe maintaining high production standards through genetic selection and feed innovations. To further enhance sustainability and productivity, novel strategies to exploit fish phenotypic plasticity are needed. Nutritional modulation of farmed fish epigenome shows promise in producing beneficial phenotypic changes, but this is limited to certain amino acids and vitamins, and a few phytochemicals. The overall objective of this project is to identify and evaluate natural product-derived inhibitors of key epigenetic regulators across evolutionarily divergent fish species. The dual aim is to discover broad-spectrum candidates for nutritional interventions and gain insights into the functional consequences of enzyme evolution. Using ligand- and structure-based virtual screening, natural compounds targeting key epigenetic regulators in major farmed fish species in Europe will be identified. Promising candidates will be evaluated using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models, highlighting the multidisciplinary and translational nature of the proposal. This project involves the fellow's strong transition from the biomedical field into new research areas (epigenetics, aquaculture), combining the transfer of computational biology skills to the host institution with the fellow's training in new scientific and transferable skills, preparing him for a broad range of career paths. For that, the researcher will find in the host institution a supportive environment. Dietary ingredients selection to target farmed fish epigenome must be grounded in robust evidence of the type this project aims to generate. Thus, results will strengthen both fundamental and applied research in aquaculture, paving the way for breakthroughs in fish nutrition. The project is aligned with EU priorities (innovation, sustainability, competitiveness, green transition) and multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (2, 3, 12, and 14).

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridCoordinatorSpain

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101268856