Production of cod in aquaculture has seen a notable increase since 2000 and it is poised to expand, as the consumer demand increases. Norway is the main cod producer worldwide but profitability of the industry is restricted by the reduction in growth associated with premature sexual maturation. This adds significantly to production time, resulting in major economic losses. In order to address this serious bottleneck we need to understand the molecular basis of muscle growth in cod but at the moment our knowledge in this area is very limited.
The overall aim of this project to identify the networks of genes that regulate growth
in cod and to investigate how they are influenced by light and sexual maturation.
The first step is to obtain the tools required for this study by high throughput
sequencing.This molecular toolbox of key genes involved in muscle growth, development
and biological rhythms will be used to examine expression changes in response to
light manipulation, to help us understand how it can have a direct influence on growth.
We will also investigate mRNA and miRNA expression profiles during a whole maturation
cycle, in order to identify genes involved in the growth impairment associated with
maturation. Data from these large-
In addition to the fundamental knowledge that it will generate, this project has potential applications in cod farming, since it may identify growth markers for selective breeding programmes as well as new target genes to minimise the negative impact of maturation on growth performance.
General overview
WP6
Industrial trial
WP4
Circadian Rhythm
WP3
Maturation & Growth
WP2
Photoperiod & Growth
WP1
Toolbox
WP5
miRNA & 454