DL: dCod 1.0 -decoding systems toxicology of cod (Gadus morhua) -environmental genomics for ecosystem quality monitoring and risk assessment

The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is an important species in North Atlantic fisheries, as well as coastal and pelagic ecosystems. It is also a widely used indicator species in European monitoring programs. The goal of the dCod 1.0-project was to combine competencies in environmental toxicology, biology, bioinformatics and mathematics across the traditional department boundaries, to create a deeper understanding of the Atlantic cod's adaptations and reactions to stressors in the environment. Building on thorough studies and mapping of the cod genome and long research traditions on the physiology, toxicology and reproduction biology of cod, the dCod project has expanded our knowledge with genomics based methods, with studies of how the cod genome responds under different environmental conditions. In dCod 1.0 we have generated large amounts of experimental results and data using in silico (defensome modelling and metabolic reconstruction), in vitro (luciferase reporter assays with cod nuclear receptors and aryl hydrocarbon receptors), ex vivo (precision-cut liver slices), aquaria and field studies, as data sets for bioinformatics analyses and mathematical models that can describe responses based on different scenarios. Overall, the ambition has been to create a knowledge-base and a tool for environmental monitoring and risk assessment. The project has involved several lab and field studies, large and comprehensive omics analyses, and transdisciplinary activities.

Utvikle tverrfaglig samarbeid innen beregningsvitenskap og livsvitenskap Utvikle RRI-kompetanse i konsortiet Utvikle følsomme metoder for miljøovervåking Utvikle nettverk og fremme karrieren til unge forskere

It is the aim of systems toxicology to integrate large datasets from environmental genomics (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) into meaningful representations of the toxic response, by using computational methods to detect enriched pathways, networks and interactions, and ultimately to develop mathematical models that can be used to predict adverse outcomes of specific exposures and mixtures. Phenotypic anchoring represents a process of determining the relationship between a particular toxicogenomic expression profile and the pathological or physiological phenotype of the organism for a particular exposure or dose and at a particular time. Studies performed in our group with Atlantic cod indicate that several environmental contaminants display effects related to lipid metabolism and other pathways connected with energy storage and generation. Hence, a phenotypic result of such effects may be reflected in growth rates of individual fish, or biomass of cod populations. Such effects, although subtle at the individual level, may have important economic effects if transformed into effects on biomass or recruitment in harvested fish stocks. The bold and ambitious aim of the dCod project is to generate sufficient insight into the systems biology of Atlantic cod to be able to model effects of contaminants on growth rates and reproduction.