Effects of environmental and nutritional stress on gene expression in the Atlantic cod Gadus morhua

Summary

The main goal of this project is to develop a custom made cDNA macroarray/microarray based on stress genes in the Atlantic cod. The array will contain approximately 700 cDNA. Stress genes in cod exposed to waterborne pollutants and dietary undesirables and supplements, will be sequenced as expressed sequence tags (ESTs), and a cDNA array constructed and tested out. Focus will be put on the parts of the transcriptome that are involved in the cellular stress response and other regular stress genes, in addition to a number of housekeeping / reference genes. In this project we applied for a PhD grant, running for three years. The PhD student starting in June 2005 works in close contact with the ongoing project “Stress genes in the Atlantic Cod Gadus morhua : EST sequencing and microarray production” (NFR project no.: 159197/I20). This project operates as a collaboration between several research groups that work on various aspects of stress in fish. The ultimate goal of the project is to generate transcriptional biomarkers for various types of environmental and nutritional stress in this ever increasing important fish species.

Project leader:

• Pål A. Olsvik, National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway

• Gro-Ingunn Hemre, NIFES, P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway
• Rune Waagbø, NIFES, P.O. Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway
• Sonnich Meier, Institute of Marine Research (IMR), P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway
• Anders Goksøyr, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
• Ketil Hylland, Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA), P.O.Box, 173 Kjelsås, N-0411 Oslo, Norway
• Rolf A. Andersen, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Høgskoleringen 5, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
• Augustine Arukwe, Department of Biology, NTNU, Høgskoleringen 5, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
• Malin Celander, Goteborg University, Department of Zoology, Box 463, SE 405 30 Goteborg, Sweden
• Ivar Hordvik, Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, N-5020 Bergen, Norway

Invitation to join the International Cod Genomic Consortium (ICGC)