ATLASea

ATLASea is one of the laureates of the PEPR exploratory programmes, which target emerging scientific or technological sectors where the French government sees a need to identify and structure communities. Co-led by the CNRS and the CEA, the ATLASea programme is funded by France 2030 over 8 years. Its aim is to sequence the genomes of 4,500 eukaryotic marine species (species whose cells have a nucleus), including molluscs, crustaceans, annelids, cnidarians, ascidians, unicellular and multicellular algae, sponges and fish, i.e. around a third of known marine species in France and the overseas territories. The data collected will be deposited in an open-access database for the scientific community, thus completing biodiversity inventories. Under the aegis of the Earth Biogenome Project (EBP), ATLASea collaborates with the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) projetc, and is endorsed by the Decade of the Oceans inititiative from the United Nations.
ATLASea is structured into three Targeted Projects that summarise the flow of data from the ocean to digitised information accessible to all:
DIVE-Sea: coordinated by the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, it will collect samples on the coast and during expeditions offshore and at depth (particularly in Mediterranean canyons where life has been able to develop in the absence of light),
SEQ-Sea: coordinated by France Génomique, it will sequence these samples at the Genoscope, with the aim of producing complete reference genomes. It will be responsible for the assembly and initial annotation of the genes,
BYTE-Sea: coordinated by the Institut Français de Bioinformatique, it will improve and store the computer annotation of this DNA in order to locate the genes, retrace their evolutionary history and assign them functions; the genomes will ultimately be stored in open databases accessible to the international community..
Through two Pilot Projects, the exploitation of the data will serve ambitious objectives in two areas:
1) the identification of new functions and bioengineering applied to the discovery of new molecules, metabolites, materials and synthesis routes. By revealing the genetic code of organisms that have hitherto been difficult to access and little-known, ATLASea will open up the potential for innovation in a wide range of fields, including the discovery of new bio-based antibacterials and processes for the degradation of plastics by marine organisms,
2) monitoring the dynamics of marine ecosystems, particularly those likely to be disrupted by the invasion of exogenous species. By facilitating rigorous biomonitoring, ATLASea will enable early action to be taken to understand and preserve these ecosystems, which are critical for biodiversity, human societies and the economy. In the longer term, ATLASea will contribute to the improvement of varieties important for aquaculture and agriculture and the exploration of new food sources to feed human populations and farm animals.
ATLASea is a large programme involving more than 80 people that are part of 7 partner institutions: CNRS, CEA, Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Ifremer, Sorbonne Université, Aix-Marseille Université, Paris Sciences Lettres.