Considerations about effective dissemination of improved fish strains

Aquaculture production systems in developing countries are largely based on the use of unimproved species and strains. As knowledge and experience are accumulated in relation to the management, feeding and animal health issues of such production systems, the availability of genetically more productive stock becomes imperative in order to more effectively use resources. For instance, there is little point in providing ideal water conditions and optimum feed quality to fish that do not have the potential to grow faster and to be harvested on time, providing a product of the desired quality. Refinements in the production system and improvement of the stock used must progress hand in hand. In this paper we deal separately with genetic and non-genetic issues pertaining to the multiplication and dissemination of improved strains. The separation is somewhat arbitrary, and as will be evident from our discussion, there is frequent interaction between the two

Strain comparisons in aquaculture species: a manual

When different strains or breeds of a particular species are available, the best choice is seldom immediately obvious for producers. Scientists are also interested in the relative performance of different strains because it provides a basis for recommendations to producers and it often stimulates the conduct of work aimed at unraveling the underlying biological mechanisms involved in the expression of such differences. Hence, strain or breed comparisons of some sort are frequently conducted. This manual is designed to provide general guidelines for the design of strain comparison trials in aquaculture species. Example analyzes are provided using SAS and SPSS. The manual is intended to serve a wide range of readers from developing countries with limited access to information. The users, however, are expected to have a basic knowledge of quantitative genetics and experience in statistical methods and data analysis as well as familiarity with computer software. The manual mainly focuses on the practical aspects of design and data analysis, and interpretation of results

Genome-wide association and Mendelian randomisation analysis provide insights into the pathogenesis of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A small proportion of HF cases are attributable to monogenic cardiomyopathies and existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have yielded only limited insights, leaving the observed heritability of HF largely unexplained. We report results from a GWAS meta-analysis of HF comprising 47,309 cases and 930,014 controls. Twelve independent variants at 11 genomic loci are associated with HF, all of which demonstrate one or more associations with coronary artery disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation, or reduced left ventricular function, suggesting shared genetic aetiology. Functional analysis of non-CAD-associated loci implicate genes involved in cardiac development (MYOZ1, SYNPO2L), protein homoeostasis (BAG3), and cellular senescence (CDKN1A). Mendelian randomisation analysis supports causal roles for several HF risk factors, and demonstrates CAD-independent effects for atrial fibrillation, body mass index, and hypertension. These findings extend our knowledge of the pathways underlying HF and may inform new therapeutic strategies

Cooperative and uniform fish? : social interactions and variability in live body weight in the GIFT strain (Nile tilapia, Oreochromic niloticus) in Malaysia

Abstract Khaw, HL. (2014). Cooperative and uniform fish? Social interactions and variability in live body weight in the GIFT strain (Nile tilapia, Oreochromic niloticus) in Malaysia. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, the Netherlands. Social interactions are present everywhere in the living world. Such social interactions may lead to indirect genetic effects (IGE), which are heritable effects of an individual on trait values of the other individuals its interacts with. IGEs may affect the direction and magnitude of response to selection in breeding programs. Moreover, social interactions may affect variability of traits. In aquaculture, competition for resources inflates size variation within populations. In this thesis, we used the Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT; Oreochromis niloticus) strain to investigate the genetic basis for social interactions and variability in harvest weight for tropical finfish. Social interaction experiments were established for quantifying the genetic and non-genetic indirect effects on harvest weight in the GIFT strain. We found evidence for IGEs on harvest weight, and a negative direct-indirect genetic correlation, which suggesting heritable competitive interactions for harvest weight in GIFT. Hence, breeding schemes may need to be adapted to avoid an increase in competition. A stochastic simulation study was conducted to examine the effect of BLUP selection on the rate of inbreeding for socially affected traits. The rates of inbreeding for scenarios with IGEs were greater than for scenarios without IGE. Therefore, with IGEs there is a greater need for a selection algorithm that restricts the increase of mean kinship. In aquaculture industry, there is a wide range of commercial production environments, which may leads to genotype by environment (GxE) interaction, for example due to differential social interactions. The GIFT fish were tested in ponds and cages to study the GxE interaction. The genetic correlations between environments (0.73 to 0.85, for harvest weight and body measurements) indicate little GxE-interaction. The data collected from the social interaction experiments were also used to investigate the presence of genetic variation in uniformity for harvest weight. The genetic coefficient of variation for standard deviation of harvest weight (0.17) shows that uniformity of harvest weight is heritable and can be increased by selective breeding. In the General Discussion of this thesis, the uniformity study was extended to incorporate IGE. The result indicates that more cooperative fish are not necessary more uniform for harvest weight. Overall, our results suggest that genetic improvement in fish breeding programs can be increased by accounting for social interactions. </p

Indirect genetic effects and inbreeding: consequences of BLUP selection for socially affected traits on rate of inbreeding.

Background Social interactions often occur among living organisms, including aquatic animals. There is empirical evidence showing that social interactions may genetically affect phenotypes of individuals and their group mates. In this context, the heritable effect of an individual on the phenotype of another individual is known as an Indirect Genetic Effect (IGE). Selection for socially affected traits may increase response to artificial selection, but also affect rate of inbreeding. Methods A simulation study was conducted to examine the effect of Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) selection for socially affected traits on the rate of inbreeding. A base scenario without IGE and three alternative scenarios with different magnitudes of IGE were simulated. In each generation, 25 sires and 50 dams were mated, producing eight progeny per dam. The population was selected for 20 generations using BLUP. Individuals were randomly assigned to groups of eight members in each generation, with two families per group, each contributing four individuals. “Heritabilities” (for both direct and indirect genetic effects) were equal to 0.1, 0.3 or 0.5, and direct–indirect genetic correlations were -0.8, -0.4, 0, 0.4, or 0.8. The rate of inbreeding was calculated from generation 10 to 20. Results For the base scenario, the rates of inbreeding were 4.09, 2.80 and 1.95% for “heritabilities” of 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5, respectively. Overall, rates of inbreeding for the three scenarios with IGE ranged from 2.21 to 5.76% and were greater than for the base scenarios. The results show that social interaction within groups of two families increases the resemblance between estimated breeding values of relatives, which, in turn, increases the rate of inbreeding. Conclusion BLUP selection for socially affected traits increased the rate of inbreeding. To maintain inbreeding at an acceptable rate, a selection algorithm that restricts the increase in mean kinship, such as optimum contribution selection, is required

Genetic and non-genetic indirect effects for harvest weight in the GIFT strain of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Trait values of individuals are affected not only by their genetic makeup, but also by environmental factors and interactions with other individuals. The heritable effect of an individual on the trait values of other individuals it interacts with is known as an indirect genetic effect (IGE). Such IGEs may affect response to selection. Fish selected for high growth rate, for example, have been shown to be more aggressive and competitive, which may reduce the observed response in growth rate. The main objective of this study is to quantify the genetic and non-genetic indirect effects for harvest weight in the GIFT strain of Nile tilapia. A total of 6330 fish with harvest weight information were used to estimate genetic and non-genetic parameters. A bivariate analysis of harvest weight and survival was conducted by fitting different mixed models to investigate the presence of IGEs and other non-genetic effects. The full set of genetic parameters could not be estimated simultaneously with the inclusion of maternal common environmental effects. A confounding between maternal common environmental effects and direct genetic effects resulted from the mating strategy, where one sire was mated to only one or two dams. A 1 male to 2 females mating design is common in aquaculture, but it has limited power to estimate genetic parameters. Models without maternal common environmental effects showed significant IGE on harvest weight, which contributed 48% of total heritable variance. Models with maternal common environmental effects suggested the presence of IGE. The direct-indirect genetic correlation for harvest weight was negative (-. 0.38. ±. 0.19), indicating that traditional selection, if performed in an environment where the fish have to compete with each other for the resources, will increase competition. A strongly negative genetic correlation between direct effects on survival and indirect effects on harvest weight (-. 0.79. ±. 0.30) showed that individuals with better genes for survival suppressed growth rate of their social partners. Our results suggest that heritable competitive interactions affect harvest weight in Nile tilapia. Hence, breeding schemes may need to be adapted to avoid an increase in aggressiveness due to selection for growth rate in a competitive environment. Further studies are required to investigate the relevance of IGE and its implications on different systems of commercial aquaculture production. Statement of relevance: Sociable fish will help to improve aquaculture production