As ómicas como ferramenta para a avaliação da toxicidade de metais em ambientes marinhos frios extremos

This project aims to develop novel methodologies and discover new biomarkers from cold adapted species that can be used to assess and monitor environmental impact in the deep sea, Antarctica shallow waters in comparison with temperate ecosystems. This will help answering the key scientific question: What are the evolutionary adaptations and potential toxicological thresholds of these species to future scenarios of metal exposure and rising seawater temperature? To answer this question, and achieve the aim, the following objectives will be addressed: 1- Determine the metal accumulation levels in sea anemones from the three studied environments after exposure to the different challenges. 2- Investigate the biochemical changes in metal metabolism, antioxidant and biotransformation capacity and oxidative damage in sea anemones from the three studied environments after exposure to the different stressors. 3- Assess the transcriptomic and proteomic responses in sea anemones from the three studied environments after exposure to the different challenges by measuring changes in gene expression and protein profile. 4- Identify the main evolutionary adaptations under cold-extreme environments to these challenges and assess the utility of specific gene/protein candidates to become biomarkers and establish future thresholds to environmental impact, that can be used in risk assessments. The innovative aspects of this proposal are: a) First comparative study on evolutionary ecotoxicological adaptations to anthropogenic disturbance in sea anemones from Antarctica and the deep sea; b) First study on integrated omics for biomarkers discovery in response to metal toxicity and temperature increase in Antarctic sea anemones; c) First in situ experiments simulating sediment plume exposure in nodule fields to study ecotoxicological effects using omics methodologies (proteomics and transcriptomics); d) Provide new insights on the environmentally induced changes at the genomic level and modes of action for these understudied species from cold environments.