Our main research lines are:
1. Determination and differentiation of sex in fish and its control in aquaculture
Using transcriptomics and epigenomics, we study genetic, epigenetic and environmental influences (especially temperature) on sex determination and differentiation in fish. Our studies are the basis for the development of protocols for sex ratio control and ploidy in aquaculture.
2. Large-scale studies on the evolution of sexual systems in fish
We have compiled a database on the sexual systems (separate sex and different forms of hermaphroditism) and key life history traits of more than 4,600 fish species from around the world. We study the incidence, distribution, influence of abiotic factors and the evolutionary transitions between these sexual systems.
3. Environmental epigenetics: sex regulation, domestication, epigenetic clocks, biomarkers
Environmental epigenetics investigates how external factors can result in heritable changes in gene expression without altering the DNA sequence. We study epigenetic changes to solve specific problems, including the relationship between temperature and sex ratios, and have patented a sex predictor. We also study the establishment and change of epigenetic marks, having developed the world's first epigenetic clock to estimate the age of fish. We reveal the key role of epigenetic modifications during the initial stages of animal domestication, thus contributing to a better understanding of Darwin's "domestication syndrome." Currently, we are interested in epigenetic mechanisms during early development that regulate genes important for key phenotypic traits.
