iCod: integrative environmental genomics of cod (Gadus morhua)

The aim of this project is to develop a deeper understanding of transcriptional and translational responses of the cod genome to environmental insults, and integrating these into mechanistic insights using a systems biology approach. The project will expl oit established activities and competence in cod physiology, transcriptomics and proteomics, and the concurrent development of a searchable cod EST database. This interdisciplinary approach will open new possibilities for gene annotation, pathway analysis , and a first step towards a systems biology understanding of genomic responses to environmental stress in the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Cod is an important species in North-Atlantic fisheries and in aquaculture. Potential conflicts with both coastal i ndustry and an oil and gas industry expanding into northern waters makes it important to understand how effluents from offshore petroleum activities, e.g. produced water, from industrial and urban (sewage) effluents, potentially containing large amounts o f chemicals and pharmaceuticals, as well as food and feed contaminants may affect growth, reproduction, and health of this species.