Programme Type: FIFTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
Programme Acronym: LIFE QUALITY
Contract Type: COST-SHARING CONTRACTS
Contract No: Q5RS-CT-2001-01797
Start Date: 2001-11-01
End Date: 2005-10-31
Project Status: completed
Budget for TUC: N/A
Role for TUC: contractor
Principal Investigator for TUC: Manolis Koubarakis

The present project will use a far reaching but parsimonious approach to transfer genetic information from model organisms to commercial species; transfer technology and know-how from leading laboratories in genome analysis and mapping to more classical fish genetics laboratories, as well as knowledge from and interesting biological model, the sea bream, in the opposite direction; bridge the gaps in maps by merging physicals and linkage maps; bridge the distance between research and industry; integrate evolutionary theory and modern technology to generate an applied endpoint; integrate genome maps of various teleost with data from higher vertebrates, thanks to the high potential of comparative mapping.

The project workplan is centered round the application of modern biotechnological methods to aquaculture. It is subdivided into 7 main workpackages, each of which is co-ordinated by the partner with the relevant expertise, and the completion of which will contribute to the attainment of the project objectives. The workpackages articulate with each other and can be subdivided into 3 main groups according to the nature of the methods they use: i) molecular biotechnology, which includes methodologies for generating mapping panels for the linkage map (WP1) and HAPPY mapping (WP2), a highly automatable new method for physical mapping, genotyping the linkage map (WP3) and HAPPY map (WPS) by use of high throughput automated methods, and isolating STS markers for HAPPY mapping (WP4), ii) conventional genetic; the tools generated in WPl-5 will be used to screen sea bream (Sparus aurata) generated in a breeding program on a SME fish farm. This will result in the transfer of molecular biotechnological methodologies to conventional genetics and the implementation of technology transfer from science to industry, and iii) the final workpackage which will run simultaneously with the other project tasks is the analysis of the extensive data which will be generated by the various workplans of the project. Bioinformatics will be essential for the handling and interpretation of the data and for its successful dissemination, in order that the project can have a maximum impact in the fields of aquaculture research, fish genetics, and comparative mapping.

Funding Agency: European Commission, Quality of life and management of living resources.

Participants: Institute of Marine Biology of Crete (Dept. of Genetics and Molecular Biotechnology), University of Padova (Dept. of Biology), MPI fuer Entwicklungsbiologie, UMR 6061 "Genetique et Developpement" ( Faculté de Médecine), Universidade do Algarve, National Center for Mariculture (Genetics Department), Nireus Chios Aquaculture S.A., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Department of Animal Production), Technical University of Crete (Dept. of Electronic and Computer Engineering).

Role: The role of this laboratory in BridgeMap is to design and implement the bionformatics component of the project (database and related tools).

Principal Investigator for TUC: Manolis Koubarakis

Official Project Web Site: http://www.bridgemap.tuc.gr