Congreso sobre epigenética

Epigenetics: From Bench to Bedside

Athens, Greece. 5-8 May 2014

Organized by COST Office

The conference will cover all potential aspects of the positive impact of epigenetics in human health and well-being either indirectly through the advances of agriculture, food biotechnology, and bio-data collection for a more selective therapy, or directly though therapeutics and drug discovery. Furthermore, the event will provide solid evidence for the anticipated central role of epigenetics in the definition of future science, thus critically supporting the establishment of the field as a top priority for the EU scientific community and the related industry.

More info: www.cost.eu/events/benchtobedside

Eel Symposium 2014

A Symposium entitled “Are eels climbing back up the slippery slope?” will be held during the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), in Quebec City, Canada, 17-21 August 2014.  The Symposium is jointly presented by the AFS and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and will be convened by an international committee with European and North American representatives.

The International Eel Symposium 2014 invites submissions on the following:

- Eel stock status in different regions/countries,

- Anthropogenic impacts causing or contributing to the decline of eel stocks,

- Methodologies for monitoring and assessment of stocks, and quantification of mortality,

- Application of aboriginal, traditional, and historic knowledge to stock dynamics and conservation,

- The effects of protective measures on stock dynamics,

- The effects of stocking and other manipulations on stock dynamics,

- Eel passage at hydroelectric facilities,

- Oceanic processes in interaction with continental stock protection,

- Eel genetics and its relevance for conservation,

- Integrated inter-jurisdictional governance and effective conservation management of scattered stocks, and

- Socio-economics of eel fisheries, and how to sustainably exploit shared stocks.

More info: afs2014.org

Asistimos al Eel Genome Symposium 2014

Esta semana hemos acudido (Luz Pérez, David S. Peñaranda, Marina Morini y yo mismo) al Eel Genome Symposium 2014 new perspectives in evolution, reproduction and ecology, celebrado en los Laboratorios Gorlaeus de la Universidad de Leiden (Holanda), y que han organizado Guido van den Thillart, Sylvie Dufour y Ron Dirks (Gracias!!).

Este symposium ha reunido a una cincuentena de investigadores, entre los que se encontraban otros investigadores españoles dedicados al estudio de la anguila, como Ibón Cancio (PIE-UPV/EHU, Plentzia; en el centro en la foto) y Enric Gisbert (IRTA, San Carles de la Ràpita; en la izquierda en la foto).

Hemos tenido la ocasión de discutir sobre resultados previos y sobre trabajos pendientes con otros participantes del proyecto PRO-EEL como Sylvie Dufour, y otros colegas como Finn-Arne Weltzien, así como cambiar impresiones con colegas japoneses, italianos, húngaros, etc.

Aunque la temática principal eran las aplicaciones del genoma de la anguila, el symposium ha contado con varias sesiones. Nuestra participación ha sido en la sesión dedicada a la endocrinología. En concreto se ha tratado de dos presentaciones orales (de David S. Peñaranda y Marina Morini, respectivamente), tituladas: Modulation of testis steroidogenic enzymes gene expression and steroid synthesis by temperature thermal regime during spermatogenesis in European eel (realizado en colaboración con la Universidad de Leiden y el NOFIMA, de Noruega) y DHP receptors and PLCZ1 expression during the European eel spermatogenesis (en colaboración con la Norwegian School of Veterinary Sciences, de Noruega);

además de un poster titulado: Characterization and expression of the Vitellogenin receptor in the European eel (en colaboración con el Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de París) y que ha presentado Marina (en la foto con Guido y Ron).

Becas predoctorales de La Caixa

La Obra Social "la Caixa", ha convocado 25 becas para realizar un doctorado en España.

Toda la información al respecto en:

http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/ambitos/becas/doctoradoenespana_es.html

Se va definiendo el contenido del Aquaculture Europe 14

El congreso, organizado por AZTI-Tecnalia y la European Aquaculture Society (EAS), se celebrará del 14 al 17 de octubre de 2014 en el Kursaal de Donostia-San Sebastián.

Está previsto un gran número de sesiones (*) de las que destacamos una sesión dedicada a los avances en la investigación sobre anguilas, y otra dedicada a la biología de los gametos de especies acuáticas, y que es parte de la Acción COST AQUAGAMETE. La segunda reunión del Management Committee de esta Acción se celebrará también durante el congreso.

Habrá precios especiales para la participación de miembros de la Sociedad Española de Acuicultura (SEA) y de la EAS.

Mas info: www.easonline.org

(*): Adding value to aquaculture products; Commercialisation of aquaculture products; Integrity, safety and authenticity of food products from aquaculture; By-products management; Climate change and environmental management; Nutrition: Requirements; Nutrition: Alternative feed ingredients; Nutrition: Outputs of the EU ARRAINA project; Hatchery; Land-based aquaculture technologies; Offshore mariculture; Stock management strategies to control reproduction prior to harvest; Beyond monoculture; Advances in disease and welfare; Marine biotechnology; Genomic research and applications; Species diversification; Salmon farming sustainability; Eels - research progress; Shellfish; Seaweeds as food, feed and economic activity; Aquaponics; Organic aquaculture; Knowledge management, transfer and extension networks; Governance, policy and strategic planning; Biology of aquatic species gametes (AQUAGAMETE COST ACTION); Laboratory fish models for aquaculture applications (e.g. Zebrafish and others) and Sustainability assessment of the aquaculture chain.

Nuestro último artículo, aceptado en Reproduction, Fertility and Development

The subpopulation pattern of eel sperm is affected by post-activation time, hormonal treatment and thermal regime

V. Gallego, M.C. Vílchez, D.S. Peñaranda, L. Pérez, M. P. Herráez, J.F. Asturiano, F. Martínez-Pastor

Natural stocks of eels (genus Anguilla) have suffered a dramatic reduction in the last 60 years, and the culture of eels is still based in the capture of very large quantities of juveniles. It is necessary to close the life cycle in captivity in order to lift the pressure on wild populations. Our aim has been to evaluate sperm subpopulations (through cluster analysis of computer-assisted sperm analysis -CASA- data) in European eel (Anguilla anguilla), and assess the effects of motility-acquisition time post-activation: 30, 60 and 90 s; thermal regimes: 10 ºC (T10) or 15 ºC (T15) and up to 20 ºC, or constant at 20 ºC (T20); and hormonal treatments: human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), recombinant (hCGrec) or pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG). In all cases, we obtained three subpopulations: low velocity and linearity (S1), high velocity and low linearity (S2) and high velocity and linearity (S3, considered high-quality).

Total motility and S1 were affected by acquisition time, thus 30 s is recommended as the standard time for motility acquisition. When animals were kept at 20 _C (T20), motility data fitted quadratic models, with the highest motility and proportion of S3 between weeks 8 and 12 after the first injection. Lower temperatures (T10, T15) delayed spermiation and obtaining of high-quality sperm (S3), but did not seem to alter the spermiation process (similar subpopulation pattern). On the other hand, the hormonal treatments altered both the dynamics of the subpopulation pattern and the onset of spermiation (with PMSG delaying it). Total motility and the yield of S3 using the widely used hCG varied throughout the spermiation period. However, hCGrec allowed us to obtain high-quality and constant motility for most of the study (weeks 7 to 20), and the S3 yield was also higher overall (61.8%±1.3) and more stable over time than the other hormonal treatments (averaging 53.0%±1.4). Using T20 and hCGrec would be more economical and practical, allowing us to obtain a higher number of S3 spermatozoa for an extended time.

Symposium sobre cultivos celulares de peces en el 11th ICFB

El próximo agosto, durante el 11th International Congress on Fish Biology organizado en Edimburgo por la Physiology Section de la American Fisheries Society se celebrará un symposium titulado "Fish Cell Cultures as a Tool for Fish Physiology Research".

Más información sobre el congreso en: http://icbf2014.sls.hw.ac.uk

El periodo de entrega de abstracts empieza mañana, 6 de enero de 2014.