Bossier, P.

De Vos, S.

Vanstappen, G.

Vuylsteke, M.

Open Marine Archive

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AFLP-BASED GENETIC MAP OF BRINE SHRIMP ARTEMIA FRANCISCANA  
De Vos Stephanie1,2, Peter Bossier1, Marnik Vuylsteke2 and Gilbert Vanstappen1  
1 Laboratory of Aquaculture and Artemia Reference Center, Ghent University, Rozier 44, 9000 
Ghent, Belgium 
E-mail: Stephanie.DeVos@UGent.be  
2 Department of Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, 
Belgium 
 
Brine shrimps of the genus Artemia are small planktonic crustaceans found in about 500 natural 
salt lakes and salterns around the world (Lavens & Sorgeloos, 1996). Artemia is the most common 
live food in aquaculture activities, specifically for larval growth of >85% of the marine species reared 
in aquaculture (Kavim et al., 2010). The aquaculture industry is the fastest growing food industry 
today.  
 
Artemia has many features of interest for genomic research: 
Artemia has a short life cycle (2-4 weeks). Levels of genetic variability for Artemia are among the 
highest within crustaceans (Abatzopoulos et al., 2002; Bossier et al., 2004). Artemia species are 
extremophiles, genes underlying these extreme phenotypes might be of utmost interest (Clegg, 
2005; Robbins et al., 2010). Artemia species are used as a model for the metabolism of 
crustaceans, biodiversity studies, toxicity testing, for Vibrio resistance in shrimps and for the 
interactions between sexual and parthenogenetic populations. 
 
So far, only the mtDNA of Artemia has been sequenced completely and no Artemia linkage maps 
are currently available (Valverde et al., 1994). Artemia linkage maps would provide basic 
information for further linkage studies on Artemia and other crustaceans, and construction of the 
maps is a first step towards creating genetic breeding programs. The development of genetic 
linkage maps is the base of mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and for marker-assisted 
selection (MAS). Genetic linkage maps have been reported for many aquaculture species. 
 
A genetic map of the Artemia franciscana genome is being constructed with AFLP markers, using a 
F1 mapping population derived from a cross between two heterozygous strains (San Francisco Bay 
male x Vinh Chau female) (Vos et al., 1995; Vuylsteke et al., 2007). The phenotypic sex of each 
individual from the 113 heterozygous F1 offspring has been determined. With 42 primer 
combinations, we have found around 500 markers, of which two thirds are AFLP markers, 
segregating 1:1 (BC markers), the rest of the AFLP markers segregate 1:2:1 (F2 markers). Among 
the BC markers, 13 female markers co-segregate with sex. Based on AFLP markers co-segregating 
with sex, the genomic region containing the sex locus (or loci) will be identified. All found markers 
are being used for constructing a genetic map with the software package Joinmap 4 (Kyazma). 
Published A. franciscana SNPs will be put on the completed genetic map. 
 
 
References  
Abatzopoulos T., J.A. Beardmore., J.S. Clegg and P. Sorgeloos. 2002. Artemia: Basic and applied   
biology. Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic Publishers. 304p. 
Bossier P., W. Xiaomei, D. Catania, S. Dooms, G. Van Stappen, E. Naessens and P. Sorgeloos. 2004. 
An RFLP database for authentication of commercial cyst samples of the brine shrimp Artemia 
spp. Aquaculture 231:93-112. 
Clegg J.S. 2005. Desiccation tolerance in encysted embryos of the animal Extremophile. Artemia. 
Integrative and Comparative Biology 45:715-724. 
Kavim M., M. Ates and H.A. Elekon. 2010. The effects of different feeds under the same salinity 
conditions on the growth and survival rate of Artemia. Journal of Animal and Veterinary 
Advances 9:1123-1226.  
Lavens P. and P. Sorgeloos. 1996. Manual on the production and use of live food for aquaculture. 
Rome, FAO. 295p. 
Robbins H.M., G. Van Stappen, P. Sorgeloos, Y. Sung, T.H. MacRae and P. Bossier. 2010. Diapause 
termination and development of encysted Artemia embryos: roles for nitric oxide and hydrogen 
peroxide. Journal of Experimental Biology 213:1464-1470. 


AFLP-based genetic map of brine shrimp <i>Artemia franciscana</i>

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