75 scientists, students and technical staff from aquaculture-canning companies participated on 25 and 26 October in the 1st International Symposium on Advances in Marine Mussel Research, organised by researchers from the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology and the Toralla Marine Science Station. According to its coordinators, this is an opportunity to bring together staff from the world of university research and teaching with industry, to generate synergies and share knowledge to advance research and innovation related to mussels.
With attendees from countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Turkey, Egypt and Nigeria, this symposium aims to address the latest advances in research on different species of mussels from a multidisciplinary perspective that covers fields such as genomics, proteomics, immunology, physiology, ecology and aquaculture. Thus, both internationally renowned researchers and teachers, students and staff related to the productive sector of the production and canning industry participate. Everyone was welcomed this morning in the Experimental Sciences Building by the rector of the University of Vigo, Salustiano Mato, recalling that “Galicia is a very prominent place in marine research”, and giving as an example the Campus of International Excellence Campus do Mar with more than 25 institutions involved and led by the University of Vigo.
Galicia, leader in research and production
Behind this first edition of this congress, which was born with the aim of consolidating itself in the almanac of scientific events in Vigo, are the researchers Ángel Pérez Diz, Armando Caballero, Juan Galindo and Antonio Villanueva. They explain that the choice of Vigo is not a coincidence, since the olive city is home to important research centers in the Mediterranean, such as Ecimat, the Marine Research Institute, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Cetmar and Anfaco. On the other hand, Galicia leads the production of this mollusk not only in Spain, but is the first producing region in Europe, helping to consolidate Spain among the three countries with the largest production of this important marine resource worldwide, after China and Chile. In addition, the mussel represents an excellent model for study in evolutionary biology, ecology, ecotoxicology, climate change, etc.
Pérez Diz explains that the Mytilus edulis complex, which includes three taxa (M. edulis, M. galloprovincialis, M. trossulus), is present throughout the planet, in the waters of both the northern and southern hemispheres, and has been the subject of studies from ecological, ecotoxicological, physiological, immunological, genetic, etc. perspectives. “These three species represent a very interesting system for studying the evolution of reproductive barriers and are also very important organisms in which to study ecotoxicological effects and improve our understanding of the immune response.” Furthermore, he adds, “recent advances in sequencing technologies have allowed the development of a wide range of genomic tools for Mytilus, including whole-genome sequencing.”
Invited lectures and presentation of papers
Over the course of these two days, seven internationally renowned scientists with extensive research backgrounds will each give a lecture on different aspects and challenges of mussel-related R&D. Nicolas Bierne, from the University of Montpellier; Carlos Canchaya, from the University of Vigo; Ibon Cancio, from the University of the Basque Country; Antonio Figueras and Beatriz Novoa, from the IIM CSIC; David Skibinski, from the University of Swansea (UK) and Antonio Villalba, from the Xunta de Galicia’s Marine Research Center, will delve into the latest advances in mussel sequencing, its immune system, diseases, the effects of pollution, etc. during the first day. Specifically, as Professor Pérez Diz explains, topics such as the sequencing of the mussel of the species Mytilus galloprovincialis (to which the Galician mussel belongs) will be addressed, as well as its diseases and its primitive immune system, “but at the same time surprisingly effective”, always taking into account “the implications for the aquaculture sector. Other key topics covered in this symposium are the process of cancer transmission between individuals, which has just been described in different bivalves including the mussel, as well as the effects of pollution and marine environmental health measurable through sentinel marine organisms, such as the mussel. The presentations will also analyze the genetic structure of European mussel populations, including hybrid zones, “with a strong evolutionary implication, since it helps us understand how new marine species adapt and form”. Finally, another of the symposium items are the implications at the molecular level of the unusual mode of inheritance of mitochondrial DNA, described by David Skibinski, from Swansea University, in the 1990s. Precisely, this researcher was in charge of giving the first scientific report of the day, after the intervention of Antonio Villanueva, deputy director of Ecimat, to present the center, recently included in the “most important and ambitious consortium of European marine biological resource centers (EMBRC)”, he recalled.
These seven presentations are complemented by five talks, which were chosen from the abstracts of works sent by the attending researchers, and a session of presentations in poster format. This first day also leaves the announcement of a second edition of the congress, which will take place in France next year, as confirmed by Nicolas Bierne, from the University of Montpellier. On Thursday, the congress participants will travel to the Cíes Islands.
Source: duvi.
