PIF2024 - ANALISIS HOLOEPIGENOMICO PARA COMPRENDER EL DIMORFISMO SEXUAL DE LA RESPUESTA INMUNE EN PECES-PID2023-146286OB-I00

In vertebrates, sex is an essential determinant of the immune response, since females and males have disease susceptibilities. HOLOSEX aims to enhance our understanding of sex-dependent epigenetic mechanisms resulting from successive infections and identify biomarkers to enhance aquaculture production through holoepigenomic approaches. This project is at research frontier, since very little is known about the epigenetic responses related to sex and the immune system in fish. To attain this goal, we will focus on specific tissues: (i) skin mucus, and (ii) gonads, which play a crucial role in epigenetic inheritance and sex identity. The project will use two teleost fish species: the European sea bass, an important commercial species, and zebrafish, as a useful animal model. State-of-the-art methodologies will be applied, such as single cell (sc)-ATAC seq and scRNA-seq to identify chromatin and gene expression alterations from different cellular types. Further, methylome and metagenomic analyses will help to decipher epigenetics and microbiota alterations after infections. Functional analysis in cell culture systems will be performed and all data from the fish host and its associated microbiota will be integrated from a holo-omic perspective. The expected results from HOLOSEX will provide valuable insights on the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in sexual dimorphism of the immune response in fish and contribute to sustainable aquaculture.