Transcriptomics for understanding Atlantic salmon biology

Transcriptomics for understanding Atlantic salmon biology.

The Applied Breeding and Genomics Team group is using transcriptomics to better understand the biology behind economically important traits in Atlantic salmon. Postdoctoral Researcher, Dr Amin Mohamed, recently completed a study that measured gene expression profiles within and between tissues important for a spectrum of life history and production characteristics.

The team collected and analysed transcriptomes from the pituitary gland, brain, ovary and liver before Illumina sequencing produced a total of 640 million 150-bp paired-end reads. Analysis revealed gene clusters expressed in a single tissue, before functional profiling described their functions.

The team also explored highly-expressed transcription factors present in each tissue-specific gene cluster. The data and analysis are relevant to the emerging Functional Annotation of All Salmonid Genomes (FAASG) initiative that is seeking to develop a detailed understanding of both salmonid evolution and the genomic elements that drive gene expression and regulation.

The project is part of an ongoing collaboration between CSIRO and Saltas which is focussed on aspects of salmonid maturation. The team’s work appeared in the September issue of the journal Frontiers in Genetics (Volume 9, Article 369)

CSIRO Aquaculture contact

Dr James Kijas – Research Group Leader, Breeding and Genomics