“I am pleased that our project, CENTROdeCODe, has secured funding,” says associate professor Nikolina Sekulic. She works in the Divion of Biochemistry at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences. She receives 12 million kroner from The Norwegian Research Council's FRIPRO.
Her research focuses on centromeres, the regions that ensure chromosomes are correctly allocated to daughter cell when cells divide. These regions have been extensively studied in humans and other model organisms, but centromeres in fish have received far less attention.
“Fish centromeres are largely unexplored, despite the biological and economic importance of fish. This is surprising because fish genomes are unusually complex and plastic throughout fish evolution. They provide a unique insight into how fish have evolved over time,” the researcher says.
Identifies DNA and proteins of cod
In this new project, Sekulic will determine DNA and proteins of Atlantic cod that are important for their centromeres to function.
“The aim is to understand how fish centromeres are structured and maintained. This work will help us to better understand the stability of genetic material in fish, and also gain insights that are relevant to chromosome biology across species,” she says.
Could be useful for creating artificial chromosomes
Sekulic envisages that their findings could be applied in aquaculture, and maybe even applied in medicine, as this knowledge could help in creating artificial chromosomes.
“Receiving this funding means we can continue working on research that engages and motivates us, while also retaining the talented researchers in our group who make this work possible. We look forward to sharing what we discover about how the genetic material of fish, in all its complexity, is connected to the fundamentals of life,” she says.