W037Identification of Genomic Loci Associated with Maturation in Pacific Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Identification of Genomic Loci Associated with Maturation in Pacific Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
Date: Saturday, January 14, 2017
Time: 1:50 PM
Time: 1:50 PM
Room: Royal Palm Salon 3-4
Reproductive success of salmon is influenced by multiple morphological features, physiological performance,
and behavioural mating strategies. While certain male-specific traits such as sperm quality can provide a clear
advantage to reproductive success, the role of precocious sexual maturation (smaller body size and absent
secondary sexual characteristics) in evolutionary stable strategy is counterintuitive. The genetic basis of early
maturation (termed jacking in Pacific salmon and grilsing in Atlantic salmon) was previously thought to
polygenic. However, this was revised with the recent identification of vestigial-like-family-member-3 (vgll3) as
the main locus for regulating maturation onset in Atlantic salmon. Our current study aims to identify loci
associated with jacking in Pacific Coho Salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. We conducted a
genome-wide-association-study and mapping analysis on six families from a hatchery population (Inch Creek),
three of which possessed a high proportion of jacks and three that had a low proportion. Using a Genotype-by-Sequencing approach, EcoT22I reduced representation libraries were generated for 654 individuals and
sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq platform. Two female- and male-specific linkage maps were generated,
where 3,815 and 3,415 SNP markers, respectively, were mapped onto 30 linkage groups. Preliminary data
revealed significant markers associated with jacking on linkage groups 15 and 21 on both genetic maps.
Alignment of early maturation markers to a draft Coho Salmon genome assembly suggests that the genomic
loci involved is not the Vgll3. This suggests that the molecular mechanism determining age of male maturation
is not fully conserved between Atlantic salmon and Pacific Coho Salmon.
and behavioural mating strategies. While certain male-specific traits such as sperm quality can provide a clear
advantage to reproductive success, the role of precocious sexual maturation (smaller body size and absent
secondary sexual characteristics) in evolutionary stable strategy is counterintuitive. The genetic basis of early
maturation (termed jacking in Pacific salmon and grilsing in Atlantic salmon) was previously thought to
polygenic. However, this was revised with the recent identification of vestigial-like-family-member-3 (vgll3) as
the main locus for regulating maturation onset in Atlantic salmon. Our current study aims to identify loci
associated with jacking in Pacific Coho Salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. We conducted a
genome-wide-association-study and mapping analysis on six families from a hatchery population (Inch Creek),
three of which possessed a high proportion of jacks and three that had a low proportion. Using a Genotype-by-Sequencing approach, EcoT22I reduced representation libraries were generated for 654 individuals and
sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq platform. Two female- and male-specific linkage maps were generated,
where 3,815 and 3,415 SNP markers, respectively, were mapped onto 30 linkage groups. Preliminary data
revealed significant markers associated with jacking on linkage groups 15 and 21 on both genetic maps.
Alignment of early maturation markers to a draft Coho Salmon genome assembly suggests that the genomic
loci involved is not the Vgll3. This suggests that the molecular mechanism determining age of male maturation
is not fully conserved between Atlantic salmon and Pacific Coho Salmon.