Project description:Domestication of finfishes is a key element toward sustainable expansion of aquaculture sector. However, huge gap in knowledge on the mechanisms of adaptability of fish to the culture environment, being the first step toward successful domestication, exists. This affects the overall production capacity which is hindered, among others, by lowered reproductive capacity of domesticated stocks, including pikeperch – a highly valued commercial freshwater fish species. Transcriptomic profiling of embryos was found to be useful tool significantly contributing into understanding domestication process in aquaculture. Up to now there is no data on transcriptomic profiling of unfertilized eggs in any fish species as well as on pikeperch, in general. Using next generation sequencing the first complex transcriptome of pikeperch have been obtained (with 40,246 unique protein-coding genes). Next, specifically designed, pikeperch-specific microarrays (Agilent technologies) were developed (with 35,343 unique probes) and transcriptomic profiling of eggs coming from wild and domesticated populations (all characterized by high quality) was performed. From among 17,543 genes found to be expressed in eggs of pikeperch 710 were found to be differentially expressed. Functional, enrichment analysis revealed that the most enriched processes represented by the set of genes identified were developmental process, regulation of phosphorylation and nervous system development. The results of the present study provides a new insight into the processes being directly involved in the successful domestication of finfishes. It can be suggested that all the identified processes were pre-determined by the maternally derived set of genes contained already in the unfertilized eggs, what has never been reported to date. In addition to that, it has been shown for the first time that among the most important processes being affected by the domestication the post translation modifications of proteins along with development of the nervous system were identified. This allows to suggest that fish behavior should be considered as a very important trait for selection for aquaculture purposes in pikeperch.

Project description:Domesticated animal populations often show profound reductions in predator avoidance and fear-related behavior compared to wild populations. These reductions are remarkably consistent and have been observed in a diverse array of taxa including fish, birds, and mammals. Experiments conducted in common environments indicate that these behavioral differences have a genetic basis. In this study, we quantified differences in fear-related behavior between wild and domesticated zebrafish strains and used microarray analysis to identify genes that may be associated with this variation. Compared to wild zebrafish, domesticated zebrafish spent more time near the water surface and were more likely to occupy the front of the aquarium nearest a human observer. Microarray analysis of the brain transcriptome identified high levels of population variation in gene expression, with 1,749 genes significantly differentially expressed among populations. Genes that varied among populations belonged to functional categories that included DNA repair, DNA photolyase activity, response to light stimulus, neuron development and axon guidance, cell death, iron-binding, chromatin reorganization, and homeobox genes. Comparatively fewer genes (112) differed between domesticated and wild strains with notable genes including gpr177 (wntless), selenoprotein P1a, synaptophysin and synaptoporin, and acyl-CoA binding domain containing proteins (acbd3 and acbd4). Microarray analysis identified a large number of genes that differed among zebrafish populations and may underlie behavioral domestication. Comparisons with similar microarray studies of domestication in rainbow trout and canids identified sixteen evolutionarily or functionally related genes that may represent components of shared molecular mechanisms underlying convergent behavioral evolution during vertebrate domestication. However, this conclusion must be tempered by limitations associated with comparisons among microarray studies and the low level of population-level replication inherent to these studies.

Project description:Domesticated animal populations often show profound reductions in predator avoidance and fear-related behavior compared to wild populations. These reductions are remarkably consistent and have been observed in a diverse array of taxa including fish, birds, and mammals. Experiments conducted in common environments indicate that these behavioral differences have a genetic basis. In this study, we quantified differences in fear-related behavior between wild and domesticated zebrafish strains and used microarray analysis to identify genes that may be associated with this variation. Compared to wild zebrafish, domesticated zebrafish spent more time near the water surface and were more likely to occupy the front of the aquarium nearest a human observer. Microarray analysis of the brain transcriptome identified high levels of population variation in gene expression, with 1,749 genes significantly differentially expressed among populations. Genes that varied among populations belonged to functional categories that included DNA repair, DNA photolyase activity, response to light stimulus, neuron development and axon guidance, cell death, iron-binding, chromatin reorganization, and homeobox genes. Comparatively fewer genes (112) differed between domesticated and wild strains with notable genes including gpr177 (wntless), selenoprotein P1a, synaptophysin and synaptoporin, and acyl-CoA binding domain containing proteins (acbd3 and acbd4). Microarray analysis identified a large number of genes that differed among zebrafish populations and may underlie behavioral domestication. Comparisons with similar microarray studies of domestication in rainbow trout and canids identified sixteen evolutionarily or functionally related genes that may represent components of shared molecular mechanisms underlying convergent behavioral evolution during vertebrate domestication. However, this conclusion must be tempered by limitations associated with comparisons among microarray studies and the low level of population-level replication inherent to these studies. RNA was extracted from the brains of fish from four behaviorally distinct strains of zebrafish and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays. Brains from 2-5 individual fish of the same sex were pooled and homogenized together, for a total of two biological replicate pools per sex per strain (16 microarrays total).

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Gene expression in eggs is influenced by the domestication process in Eurasian Perch (Perca fluviatilis)

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