QTL Detection for Albinism-Related Loci in Chinese Tongue Sole (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cynoglossus semilaevis</Emphasis>)

The Chinese tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) is widely cultured in the coastal region of East Asia and has excellent economic value. However, the high albino rate of the breeding population has caused a significant loss to the aquaculture industry. To study the molecular mechanism of albinism, the present study used an albino Chinese tongue sole family to construct three simple sequence repeat (SSR) linkage groups, and draft a preliminary linkage map related to albinism. After albinism-related loci mapping, 18 albinism-related loci were detected under two models (containing 2407 genes) compared to the Chinese tongue sole genome. One of these loci, the tyrosinase related protein (tyrp2), which has been reported previously as an important gene regulating both eumelanin and phaeomelanin levels, was indicated to be the possible cause of albinism. Thirty-five Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 14 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways were annotated via bioinformatic analyses. One GO term with protein tyrosine kinase activity, which contained 10 genes, was previously suggested to affect fish albinism. These results establish a foundation for further in-depth study of albinism in Chinese tongue sole.     

Large-Scale Screening of Growth-Related Variants in Chinese Tongue Sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Growth is the most valuable economic trait for improving aquaculture fish species, since fast growth can reduce labor cost and make more economic benefits. However, the knowledge about how many and which genes are related to the growth of Chinese tongue sole is limited. High-throughput sequencing screening of variants is a fast, economical and accurate assay to identify genes related to growth in crops, livestock and other aquaculture products. In the present study, genome-wide resequencing of 30 female Chinese tongue sole individuals from large and small groups to screen growth trait-related variations(SNPs, InDels) was carried out. In total, 6545735 SNPs and 1016745 InDels were detected, while 31 genes related to growth traits were identified. Their functions were mainly involved in muscle architecture, post-embryonic development, neurosensory development and hormone regulation. Furthermore, 18 of the 31 genes related to growth trait are located on W chromosome, indicating that W chromosome plays an important role in regulating the body size of female tongue soles. The markers and genes identified in our study can be applied to selective breeding of tongue sole and thus will promote the aquaculture industry and increase economic efficiency.     

Changes in Plasma Osmolality,Cortisol and Amino Acid Levels of Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) at Different Salinities

A serial of salinity transferring treatments were performed to investigate the osmoregulation of tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis). Juvenile tongue sole were directly transferred from a salinity of 30 to 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50. Blood sampling was performed for each treatment after 0, 1, 6 and 12 h, as well as after 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 d. The plasma osmolality, cortisol and free amino acids were assessed. Under the experimental conditions, no fish died after acute salinity transfer. The plasma cortisol level increased 1 h after the abrupt transfer from a salinity of 30 to that of 0, 40 and 50, and decreased from 6 h to 8 d after transfer. Similar trends were observed in the changes of plasma osmolality. The plasma free amino acids concentration showed a ‘U-shaped' relationship with salinity after being transferred to different salinities for 4 days. More obvious changes of plasma free amino acid concentration occurred under hyper-osmotic conditions than under hypo-osmotic conditions. The concentrations of valine, isoleucine, lysine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline and taurine increased with rising salinity. The plasma levels of threonine, leucine, arginine, serine, and alanine showed a ‘U-shaped' relationship with salinity. The results of this study suggested that free amino acids might have important effects on osmotic acclimation in tongue sole.     

Analysis of SSRs Derived from an EST Library of Half-Smooth Tongue Sole Cynoglossus semilaevis

A complementary DNA (cDNA) library was constructed from half-smooth tongue sole spleen. A long-read expressed sequence tag (EST) database was generated, containing 3100 cDNA clones, of which 220 clones were fully sequenced. A total of 1060 non-redundant simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were obtained from the cDNA library. An average of 5 kb sequence generates 1 SSR in the half-smooth tongue sole spleen cDNA library. The proportion of the SSR unit size was different in the cDNA library. The monomeric repeats (51.4%) are the most abundant class of SSR in the dataset. The dimeric, trimeric, tetrameric and hexameric re- peats are represented in decreasing proportions of 27.2%, 16.0%, 2.8% and 1.9%, respectively. The frequency of pentameric repeats was observed the least (only 0.7%). Most of the monomeric and dimeric repeats are distributed in 3' and 5' un-translation region. If translation regions are considered merely, trimeric repeats are the highest, accounting for 57% of the total microsatellites.     

Half Smooth Tongue Sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis) Under Low Salinity Stress Can Change Hepatic igf2 Expression Through DNA Methylation

Salinity is a crucial environmental stress that severely affects fish growth and survival.Under environmental stress,DNA methylation plays an important role in gene expression and genome function.To better understand the epigenetic regulation mechanism of igf2 under low salinity stress,we analyzed the DNA methylation at 5’UTR,exon1,intron1,and exon2,and analyzed the relationship of DNA methylation with mRNA abundance as well as the special single CpG sites methylation patterns of igf2 in the liver of half smooth tongue sole under low salinity(15)for 0,7,and 60 d.When exposed to low salinity,DNA methylation at 5’UTR and exon2 remained stable,while it was up-regulated firstly and then down-regulated at exon1 and intron1.Some single CpG sites of igf2 associated with low salinity,and most of these sites with significantly changed methylation levels(P<0.05)are located in intron1 area.The discrepant variation of single CpG sites methylation levels and igf2 expression further revealed that females and males showed different response to low salinity.Remarkably,the 38-CpG site of intron1 servers as a sexual marker.Additionally,our integrative analysis demonstrated that regional DNA of igf2 methylation had highly complex interplay on gene expression.The single CpG sites in intron1 were indispensable epigenetic markers under external environmental stress.Above all,to resist the low salinity stress,half smooth tongue sole liver can regulate the expression of igf2 through methylation of CpG sites in intron1.     

Analysis of DNA Methylation Level by Methylation-Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism in Half Smooth Tongue Sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis) Subjected to Salinity Stress

Increasingly arisen environmental constraints may contribute to heritable phenotypic variation including methylation changes,which can help the animals with development,growth and survival.In this study,we assessed the DNA methylation levels in three tissues(gonad,kidney and gill) of half smooth tongue sole under the salinity stress.The methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism(MSAP) technique was applied to illustrate the regulation of epigenetic mechanism in environmental stimuli.Fish were subjected to 15 salinity treatment for 7 and 60 days,respectively.A total of 11259 fragments were amplified with 8 pairs of selective primers.The levels of methylated DNA in different tissues of females and males without salinity stress were analyzed,which were 32.76% and 47.32% in gonad;38.13% and 37.69% in kidney;37.58% and 34.96% in gill,respectively.In addition,the significant difference was observed in gonad between females and males,indicating that discrepant regulation in gonadal development and differentiation may involve sex-related genes.Further analysis showed that total and hemi-methylation were significantly decreased under 15 salinity for 7 days,probably resulting in up-regulating salt-tolerance genes expression to adjust salt changing.With the adjustment for 60 days,total and hemi-methylation prominently went back to its normal levels to obtain equilibrium.Particularly,full methylation levels were steady along with salinity stress to maintain the stability of gene expression.Additionally,the data showed that gonads in females and gills in males were superior in adaptability.As a result,DNA methylation regulates tissue-specific epiloci,and may respond to salinity stress by regulating gene expression to maintain animal survival and activity.     

DNA Methylation of pacap Gene Is Involved in Growth Superiority of Female Half Smooth Tongue Sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis) in Different Salinities

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide(PACAP)and growth hormone-releasing hormone(GHRH)play important roles in the GH/IGF growth axis in fishes.To determine whether epigenetic change is involved in the regulation of pacap and ghrh responses to low salinity stress in Cynoglossus semilaevis,the correlation between growth traits,DNA methylation status and gene expression level in low salinity(15,S15)and optimal salinity(30,S30)at day 7(D7)and day 60(D60)were analyzed.Results showed that exposure to low salinity for 60 days attenuated C.semilaevis growth rate.Under low salinity,DNA methylation level of pacap promoter increased in females and decreased in males at day 7,but inverted at day 60.Additionally,pacap expression was up-regulated in both males and females.The pacap promoter methylation level was higher and expression level was lower in female than in male.The results suggest that pacap promoter methylation level is negatively correlated to mRNA level and positively correlated to body weight,while gene expression level is negatively related with body weight.With the decrease of salinity,DNA methylation level of ghrh promoter and exon1,as well as its gene expression displayed minor changes.Overall,pacap gene seems to play an important role in fish growth,contributing to female growth superiority,while ghrh gene seems not pertinent under salinity stress.The results indicate that low salinity potentially affects fish growth through regulating DNA methylation in pacap promoter.This study expands the understanding of the molecular mechanism of how salinity modulates fish growth from the epigenetic perspective.     

Effects of Starving and Re-feeding Strategies on the Growth Performance and Physiological Characteristics of the Juvenile Tongue Sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Starving and re-feeding trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of starvation duration and recovery times on the growth performance and physiological characteristics of juvenile tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis, which included growth, body composition, intestinal morphology and digestive enzymes activities. The fish starved for one(D1), two(D2) and four(D4) days, respectively, were recovered for three(R3, R6, R12), seven(R7, R14, R28) and eleven(R11, R22, R44) folds of starvation days while the control fish were fed constantly. The experiment was conducted for 96 days. The fish individuals in D1R11, D2R14 and D2R22 caught up in weight with the control, indicating that complete compensatory growth existed in these fish individuals. The highest body weight gain and total specific growth rates were observed in D2R22. Food intake increased significantly in most treatments in comparison with that of the control except for D1R7 and D2R22(P 0.05). Food conversion efficiency and apparent digest coefficient in D2R22 were significantly promoted, being higher than that of the control(P 0.05). The activities of trypsin and lipase were found to be closely related to the growth performance. The activities of liver and hindgut trypsin, also midgut and hindgut lipase in D2R22 were significantly higher than those of the control(P 0.05). The fold height(HF) of foregut and midgut increased significantly in D2R22, and HF decreased significantly in D1R3, D2R6 and D4R12(P 0.05). On our findings, we may conclude that the optimum starving and re-feeding strategy is starving for 2 days and re-feeding for 22 days. And in this starving and re-feeding strategy, the compensatory growth could be mostly attributed to the promotion of food conversion efficiency and digestibility coefficiency.     

Effects of the Amplitude and Frequency of Salinity Fluctuation on the Body Composition and Energy Budget of Juvenile Tongue Sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Effects of the amplitude(± 2, ± 4, ± 6, and ± 8) and frequency(2, 4, and 8 d) of salinity fluctuation on the body composition and energy budget of juvenile tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis) were investigated in a 64-d experiment. Results showed that the amplitude and frequency of salinity fluctuation had significant interaction and both substantially affected the final weight and specific growth rate of juvenile tongue sole. The tongue sole exhibited better growth in treatments with moderate amplitude and frequency of salinity fluctuation(amplitude ± 4–6; frequency 4–8 d) than in other treatments and the control. In terms of energy budget, salinity fluctuation strongly affected the proportions of energy components, including those deposited for growth and lost in respiration, feces, and excretion. Moderately amplitude and frequency of salinity fluctuationg that favored the growth of tongue sole partitioned more energy for growth and less energy for metabolism than the constant and other amplitude and frequency of salinity fluctuation. Average energy budget for tongue sole at moderately fluctuating salinity was determined to be 100C(food) = 30.92G(growth) + 10.30F(feces) + 6.77U(excretion) + 52.01R(respiration). Energetic advantage at moderately fluctuating salinity, including increased energy intake, high assimilation efficiency, reduced metabolism expenditure, and more energy partitioned into growth, might account for the enhancement of tongue sole growth. Commercial farmers are recommended to rear juvenile tongue sole with moderate salinity fluctuations for better growth performance of this species.     

Histological Assessment and Transcriptome Analysis Provide Insights into the Toxic Effects of Perfluorooctanoic Acid to Juvenile Half Smooth Tongue Sole Cynoglossus semilaevis

Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA) is a widespread synthetic persistent organic pollutant that may enrich along the food chain and affect the growth, development, reproduction, and lipid metabolism of aquatic organisms, particularly the benthic organisms. However, the toxic effects of PFOA on the half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis, a commercial benthic fish in China, have rarely been reported. Because juvenile fish are sensitive to environmental pollutants, in the present study, histologic...     

半滑舌鳎gata5基因的克隆及表达分析

【目的】研究半滑舌鳎(Cynoglossussemilaevis)gata5基因(csgata5)的序列特征及该基因在半滑舌鳎性腺分化、成熟过程中的表达模式。【方法】通过克隆获得csgata5编码区序列,利用荧光定量PCR(RT-qPCR)方法检测csgata5 mRNA在不同类型性腺、胚胎和性腺发育中的表达模式,借助原位杂交技术定位csgata5 mRNA表达的细胞类型。【结果】克隆获得csgata5 cDNA序列1 777 bp,包含1 167 bp的编码区(Coding sequence,CDS),262 bp的5′UTR和348 bp的3′UTR区,预测csgata5编码388个氨基酸残基(aa),分子质量为41.9 ku,等电点为8.90,在C端含有两个典型的GATA锌指结构域;基因组分析显示csgata5位于半滑舌鳎10号染色体上,包含7个外显子和6个内含子区。RT-qPCR分析显示csgata5 mRNA在2龄雄鱼和伪雄鱼精巢中表达高于卵巢;csgata5m RNA主要定位在卵母细胞、精原细胞和精子中。胚胎发育过程中,csgata5m RNA表达在1细胞期至囊胚期呈下降趋势,之后上升,至原肠胚期达到峰值,随后降低并维持较低水平至孵化出膜。在精巢发育过程中,csgata5m RNA表达水平呈升高趋势,在1龄达到检测的峰值;在卵巢发育过程中,csgata5m RNA表达趋势类似精巢,表达水平低于同期精巢。【结论】csgata5参与半滑舌鳎原肠胚期的组织器官分化,具有促进原始生殖细胞向雄性生殖细胞分化及雄性生殖细胞发育的作用。     

Development of 57 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers in half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) is a promising species for aquaculture in China.The wild population of C. semilaevis is under threat from environmental factors. Microsatellite markers are very suitable for assessing genetic diversity. Four microsatellite-enriched libraries of half smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) were constructed,from which 57 polymorphic microsatellites were isolated and characterized.The polymorphism of these microsatellites was assessed by genotyping in 30 ind...     

Genome-wide identification and prediction of long non-coding RNAs in half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - At present, the function and profile of long noncoding RNAs (IncRNAs) in half-smooth tongue soles Cynoglossus semilaevis remain poorly understood. Lherefore,...     

Application of AFLP markers for population genetic study on half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis

The genetic diversity of wild and hatchery populations of half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis, based on observation of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was described. Two hundred individuals from four wild populations, Laizhou (LZ), Weihai (WH), Qingdao (QD), Rizhao (RZ), and one hatchery population, Mingbo (MB), were screened using eight different AFLP primer combinations. A total of 384 loci were screened in the five studied populations. 48.4%, 51.3%, 50.7%, 49.3% and 45.8% of these loci were polymorphic among the individuals tested in the LZ, WH, QD, RZ and MB populations, respectively. The number of polymorphic loci detected by single primer combinations ranged from 17 to 35. The average heterozygosity of the LZ, WH, QD, RZ and MB populations was 0.072, 0.093, 0.092, 0.090 and 0.063, respectively. The WH population showed the highest genetic diversity in terms of total number of AFLP bands, total number of polymorphic bands, average heterozygosity and percentage of low frequency (0-0.2) polymorphic loci among all the populations, while the LZ population was the lowest among the wild populations. Compared with the wild populations, the hatchery population showed a low genetic viability.     

Identification of two major histocompatibility (MH) class II A genes and their association to Vibrio anguillarum infection in half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Major histocompatibility complex class II antigens are important in vertebrate immune system.In the present study,the full cDNA sequence of class II A gene was synthesized by RACE-PCR from half-smooth tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis),and its open reading frame(ORF) polymorphism was studied.The whole cDNA sequence was 992 bp in length,including the ORF with 717 bp.Twenty-five alleles were identified and clustered into two distinct groups according to the specific nucleotides/amino acids in specific positions.Eleven alleles belonged to Cyse-DAA while fourteen alleles belonged to Cyse-DBA.Four Cyse-DAA alleles were observed in one individual,and three to five Cyse-DBA alleles were observed in each of the three detected individuals,which indicated that at least two loci existed in each gene.Moreover,in order to study the function of the alleles in resistance to infection,200 individuals were intraperitoneally injected with Vibrio anguillarum and the first 20 dead individuals and 20 surviving ones were selected for genotype analysis.Fifty-six alleles were identified among the 40 individuals.Twenty-nine alleles belonged to Cyse-DAA and the other 27 alleles belonged to Cyse-DBA.Eighteen alleles were selected for studying their function in resistance to infection.Alleles Cyse-DAA*0201,Cyse-DAA*1101,Cyse-DBA*0401,Cyse-DBA*1102,Cyse-DBA*1801 and Cyse-DBA*2201 were identi-fied only in surviving individuals,while alleles Cyse-DAA*0901,Cyse-DBA*1101 and Cyse-DBA*1401 occurred more frequently in dead individuals.This study confirmed the existence and polymorphism of two class II A genes as well as the relationship between alleles of class II A genes and disease susceptibility/resistance in half-smooth tongue sole.     

Sequence polymorphism of two major histocompatibility (MH) class II B genes and their association with Vibrio anguillarum infection in half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ⅱ B molecules play an important role in the adaptive immune response in fish. Previous study has reported that two highly polymorphic class ⅡB genes, Cyse-DAB and Cyse-DBB exist in half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). In this study, the polymorphism within exon 2 of the class Ⅱ B genes following bacterial challenge was evaluated. Two hundred C. semilaevis individuals were injected intraperitoneally with Vibrio anguillarum. Muscle tissue from the first 20 dead and 20 of the survivors was collected for genotyping. Sixty alleles from the 40 individuals were isolated, of which 32 belonged to Cyse-DAB and 28 belonged to Cyse-DBB. The rate of dN (non-synonymous substitution) was higher than that of dS (synonymous substitution) in the PBRs (peptide binding residues) of both class Ⅱ B genes. Conversely, the rate of dS was higher than dN in the non-PBRs and the complete exon 2 sequence. Thus, the results suggest that positive selection has occurred in the PBRs and purifying selection in the non-PBRs and exon 2. Thirteen class Ⅱ B alleles were used to study the association between alleles and resistance to infection. Though not significant, alleles Cyse-DAB*0601, Cyse-DAB*0706, and Cyse-DBB*0101, Cyse-DBB*1301 were only found in surviving individuals and may represent alleles that have resistance against V. anguillarum infection. Alleles Cyse-DAB*0701 and Cyse-DAB*1301 were significantly more prevalent in dead individuals than in surviving ones and may represent alleles that are associated with increased susceptibility to V. anguillarum infection.     

Analysis of phenotypic and genetic parameters for growthrelated traits in the half smooth tongue sole,Cynoglossus semilaevis

A bstract Phenotypic and genetic parameters for growth-related traits in the half-smooth tongue sole,Cynoglossus semilaevis,were estimated in 22 full-sib families produced by normal and neo-male breeding stocks. As phenotypic males with female genotypes,neo-males are harmful in C. semilaevis aquaculture because they reduce overall production. The present study evaluated the difference in the growth-related traits: total length(TL),body weight(BW) and square root of body weight(SQ_BW) at the age of 570 days between normal and neo-male offspring(neo-males used as male parents). The difference in the proportion offemales between normal and neo-male offspring was also assessed. Based on the linear mixed model,restricted maximum likelihood(REML) and best linear unbiased prediction(BLUP) were used to estimate various(co)variance components and estimated breeding values(EBVs) of growth-related traits. As a result,all the mean values of the three studied traits were significantly larger in normal offspring than in neo-male offspring. Additionally,the female proportion was significantly larger in normal offspring than in neo-male offspring. Heritability was 0.128±0.066 2 for TL,0.128±0.065 5 for BW and 0.132±0.062 9 for SQ_BW,all of which were low level heritabilities. The correlation coefficients of EBVs and phenotypic values of the target traits were 0.516 for TL,0.524 for BW and 0.506 for SQ_BW,all of which were highly significant( P 0.01). Genetic correlations among TL,BW and SQ_BW were positive high(0.921–0.969) and higher than those of phenotype(0.711–0.748),both of which had low standard errors(0.063–0.123 for genotype,and 0.010–0.018 for phenotype). Compared with normal offspring,neo-male offspring have lower breeding values for each studied trait through EBVs comparison. Therefore,neo-male offspring should not be used as broodstock in a C. semilaevis breeding programs.     

Isolation,characterization and expression analysis of TRPV4 in half-smooth tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - The transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), another Ca2+ entry channel, belongs to the vanilloid subfamily and responds to a number of different...