Advances in greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) research: the DIVERSIFY project

The greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is a species with high potential for the EU aquaculture due to its fast growth (6 kg in 2.5 years), excellent flesh quality and global market. Its farming in the Mediterranean region started in the 1990s with wild-caught juveniles, but the production is still negligible, as several bottlenecks exist for its industrial production. These include the absence of reliable reproduction, limited availability of juveniles, lack of knowledge on the nutrient requirements and pathology of the species. The EU FP7-funded DIVERSIFY project (www.diversifyfish.eu) examines the major aspects of greater amberjack aquaculture in order to overcome these bottlenecks and develop appropriate rearing methods for commercial production. This article provides some highlights from the first 2 years of the project.Postprin

Mapping the sex determination locus in the hāpuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) using ddRAD sequencing

Background  Hāpuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) is a member of the wreckfish family (Polyprionidae) and is highly regarded as a food fish. Although adults grow relatively slowly, juveniles exhibit low feed conversion ratios and can reach market size in 1–2 years, makingP. oxygeneiosa strong candidate for aquaculture. However, they can take over 5years to reach sexual maturity in captivity and are not externally sexually dimorphic, complicating many aspects of broodstock management. Understanding the sex determination system ofP. oxygeneiosand developing accurate assays to assign genetic sex will contribute significantly towards its full-scale commercialisation.  Results  DNA from parents and sexed offspring (n = 57) from a single family of captive bredP. oxygeneioswas used as a template for double digestion Restriction-site Associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing. Two libraries were constructed usingSbfI–SphI andSbfI –NcoI restriction enzyme combinations, respectively. Two runs on an Illumina MiSeq platform generated 70,266,464 raw reads, identifying 19,669 RAD loci. A combined sex linkage map (1367cM) was constructed based on 1575 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers that resolved into 35 linkage groups. Sex-specific linkage maps were of similar size (1132 and 1168cM for male and female maps respectively). A single major sex-determining locus, found to be heterogametic in males, was mapped to linkage group 14. Several markers were found to be in strong linkage disequilibrium with the sex-determining locus. Allele-specific PCR assays were developed for two of these markers, SphI6331 and SphI8298, and demonstrated to accurately differentiate sex in progeny within the same pedigree. Comparative genomic analyses indicated that many of the linkage groups within theP. oxygeneiosmap share a relatively high degree of homology with those published for the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax).  Conclusion  P. oxygeneioshas an XX/XY sex determination system. Evaluation of allele-specific PCR assays, based on the two SNP markers most closely associated with phenotypic sex, indicates that a simple molecular assay for sexingP. oxygeneiosshould be readily attainable. The high degree of synteny observed withD. labraxshould aid further molecular genetic study and exploitation of hāpuku as a food fish

The Atlantic Bonito ( Sarda sarda,Bloch 1793) Transcriptome and Detection of Differential Expression during Larvae Development

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Ontogenesis of the hpi axis and molecular regulation of the cortisol stress response during early development in dicentrarchus labrax

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Metabolic acceleration in mediterranean perciformes.

Larval stages are considered the most critical of fish development. During a very short period of time (2 to 3. months), larvae undergo major morphoanatomical and functional changes in order to transform into juveniles while remaining functioning (developing, eating, surviving). Depending on species and environmental conditions, patterns in larval development may vary. We study the patterns of larval development for nine fish species of Perciformes reared under aquaculture conditions and compare them in terms of species-specific parameters derived from DEB theory. We extended the standard DEB model to include metabolic acceleration during the larval period, where maximum specific assimilation and energy conductance increase with length between birth and metabolic metamorphosis. Metabolic acceleration has as a consequence that larvae initially grow slower than juveniles and adults. Our results indicate that the species with higher acceleration have lower growth rates at birth and they also suggest that metabolic acceleration is related to spawning season. High metabolic acceleration of demersal species is associated with summer-autumn spawning in the Mediterranean, where temperature is high and food availability is low

Alpha-MSH and melanocortin receptors at early ontogeny in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L.)

Contains fulltext : 175464.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)9 p