Atlantic cod survive without vital immune genes, say scientists

Atlantic cod survive without vital immune genes, say scientists

Source: theguardian

8/10/2011

Atlantic cod survive without vital immune genes, say scientists

Credit: Alamy

Atlantic cod have evolved to survive without a set of genes that scientists thought were essential to the immune system, according to an analysis of the fish's genome.

Researchers hope the finding will lead to better vaccines for farmed cod – protecting declining fish stocks – and may even open new avenues of medical research for human disease.

"Pathogens are a major challenge to fish farming, particularly under the dense stocking conditions that are typical of aquaculture, and vaccination is a major approach to protect from diseases," said Prof Christopher Secombe, head of the Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre. The new research will help them to target vaccine research more effectively.

Cod is one of the five fish species most commonly eaten in the UK. British consumers spent more than £313.3m on cod last year.