Investigating the Role of Genetic Variation in vgll3 and six6 in the Domestication of Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax Linnaeus)

• Main Authors: MOULISTANOS, ARISTOTELIS, Nikolaou, Theopisti, Sismanoglou, Smaragda, Gkagkavouzis, Konstantinos, Karaiskou, Nikoleta, Antonopoulou, Efthimia, Triantafyllidis, Alexandros, Papakostas, Spiros
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Authorea, Inc. 2023
• Subjects: Atlantic salmon
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.22541/au.168897612.22492588/v1

Gene function conservation is crucial in molecular ecology, especially for key traits like growth and maturation in teleost fish. The vgll3 and six6 genes are known to influence age-at-maturity in Atlantic salmon, but their impact on other fish species is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the association of vgll3 and six6 in the domestication of gilthead seabream and European seabass, both undergoing selective breeding for growth-related traits in the Mediterranean. We analysed two different sets of samples using two different genotyping approaches. The first dataset comprised farmed and wild populations from Greece, genotyped for SNPs within the genomic range of the two genes (“gene-level genotyping”). The second dataset examined 300k to 600k SNPs located in the chromosomes of the two genes, derived from a meta-analysis of a Pool-Seq experiment involving farmed and wild populations distributed widely across the Mediterranean (“chromosome-level genotyping”). The gene-level analysis revealed a significant effect of domestication on both genes in each species. This finding was partially supported by the chromosome-level analysis, identifying highly differentiated regions associated with domestication at varying distances from the candidate genes. Noteworthy genomic features were found, such as a CpG island in gilthead seabream and novel candidate genes in European seabream, warranting further investigation. These findings support a putative role of vgll3 and six6 in the maturation and growth of gilthead seabream and European seabass, emphasizing the need for further research on their conserved function.