Genome-proteome mapping of Indian Ocean
SCIENTISTS from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) have launched a 90-day scientific expedition for genome-proteome mapping of Indian Ocean.
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: SCIENTISTS from CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO) have launched a 90-day scientific expedition for genome-proteome mapping of Indian Ocean.
The exercise will help utilise the emerging biomedical techniques, such as proteomics, genomics along with macro- and micro-nutrients to reveal the internal working of the vast body of the ocean at cellular level, according to scientists.
The expedition onboard research vessel RV Sindhu Sadhana with 30 scientists took off from Visakhapatnam on March 15. It will be completed in 2-legs by the end of May by travelling all the way to the Southern Hemisphere covering over 9,000 nautical miles up to 30 degrees. It will conclude in Goa.
CSIR-NIO, Goa has initiated the project for mapping the genetic diversity of organisms and the effect of micronutrients and trace metals on them in the Indian Ocean supported by Government of India under one of its flagship projects raceBioMe.
The data generated under the programme will help in a long way. The scientists plan to use the techniques utilised in medical sciences to understand the ecosystem dynamics of the ocean. The aim is to identify and characterise the genes and proteins in the ocean to understand the cellular level operations of organisms in the ocean, said NIO scientist GPS Murthy.
Proteins act as catalysts for the biogeochemical reaction the organisms undergoing in the ocean. By studying proteomics one can identify the biogeochemistry of the organisms under varying ocean conditions. "These studies will allow us to understand cellular biochemistry and the response of the ocean to climate change, nutrient stress, and increasing pollution. This study will enable scientists to identify the factors controlling the changes in RNA, DNA in the oceans and various stressors impacting them," Dr Murty said.
Exploring the ocean genome will enable the growing number of commercial biotechnology applications, extending from multiple anticancer treatments to cosmetics and industrial enzymes, to antiviral molecules.
As marine genomics increasingly enters the big data realm, the challenges to access it are increasingly loaded towards computational and bioinformatics capacity, a
trend that will continue in the future. Exploration of the ocean at genetic level will result in new insights into taxonomy and adaptive capacity that can help optimise conservation efforts.
