An Investigation Into Growth-Related Genes in the Australasian Snapper, Chrysophrys Auratus
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An investigation into growth-related genes in the Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus Kate Rose Irving A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology and Biodiversity Victoria University of Wellington 2018 Abstract Growth is a complex quantitative trait that is controlled by a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Due to its significance in animal breeding programmes, growth is a commonly studied trait in agriculture and aquaculture species. The Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus, supports significant commercial and recreational fisheries in New Zealand and has the potential to be developed as a new aquaculture species. However, the relatively slow growth rate of C. auratus is a constraint and little is known of the specific regulation of growth in this species. The overall aim of this thesis research was to use genome sequence data and transcriptomics to investigate the loci that influence growth rate of C. auratus. In Chapter Two, the C. auratus Growth Hormone (GH) gene was identified in the reference genome and the structure and polymorphisms were characterised using re-sequenced data. The GH gene was approximately 5,577 bp in length and was comprised of six exons and five introns. Large polymorphic repeat regions were found in the first and third introns, and putative transcription factor binding sites were identified. Phylogenetic analysis of the GH genes of Perciform fish showed conserved non-coding regions and highly variable non-coding regions. The amino acid sequences and putative secondary structures were also largely conserved across this order. In Chapter Three, the genetic variation of two large intronic repeat regions were assessed in wild C. auratus populations and shown to be polymorphic. The intron 1 locus was then assessed in slow- and fast-growing C. auratus for associations with growth rate. No significant differences were detected in the variation between groups; however, trends seen in the results corroborated other studies of an association between shorter introns and increased gene expression. Further investigation with a larger sample size is needed. A high level of heterozygosity was detected in all populations used in this study and may be due to negative selection acting on one allele (485). In Chapter Four, gene expression data was compared between C. auratus at high (21 C) and low (13 C) temperatures to investigate how the gene regulation of growth is influenced by temperature. The high temperature treatment (HTT) was characterized by a large number of differentially expressed genes associated with biosynthesis, skeletal muscle components, and catalytic activity while the low temperature treatment (LTT) had an upregulation of genes associated with important degradation pathways. The results of this study also suggest the action of negative feedback on growth regulation in the HTT, which may be a result of chronic heat stress. I This thesis research represents one of the first studies to explore the genetic regulation of growth in C. auratus and makes a significant contribution to the field of research into growth, not only in C. auratus, but also other fish species. The findings presented in this thesis may be applied to a selective breeding programme of C. auratus that aimed to increase the growth rate, and consequently, improve its economic viability as a commercial aquaculture species in New Zealand. II Acknowledgements I would like to start by thanking my supervisor, Dr Peter Ritchie, for your support throughout my project. Your door was always open if I needed it and your continued encouragement, especially throughout the more challenging times, was much appreciated. I would also like to thank Maren Wellenreuther for your significant input to my project. I appreciate the time you invested in me and in my work. Thank you for supplying samples and other resources for my research. A big thank you also to Jérémy Le Luyer for supplying the data for Chapter Four of my thesis research and for answering all of my questions. To Ange, Jana, and Balam, thank you for all of your help in the lab. The skills you taught me and the wisdom you passed on are much appreciated. A special thank you to Alex, who not only helped me a great deal in lab, but also endured endless questioning from me. Thank you for putting up with me and for reading over my work. Thank you to Jean Goodman Dance studios for offering some stress relief and space from the stresses of university life. A big thank you to Nick, James, and Eleanor at Wellington Diving Club for your support throughout my project, for putting up with me when I was stressed, and most of all, for providing me with a great deal of entertainment. To my amazing friends Imogen, Rachel, Susan, and Esther, I cannot express how much I appreciate all of the support, distraction, and encouragement you have given me. I could not have done this without you. I am also incredibly grateful to have had the support of Roald, Jess, and Josh throughout the last two years. I don’t know how I would have survived this without you all. Thank you for making everything bearable, for answering questions, and for reading my work. But most of all, thank you for making me laugh through good times and bad. And to my family, immediate and extended, thank you for your enduring support. Thank you, Debbie, for reading my work and offering academic advice throughout my research. Thank you to Josh and Kaitlyn for keeping in touch and for being so encouraging. Thank you, Ben, Kathryn, and Angus, for all of your visits and for having me to stay. Thank you for all of III your support and for always being there for me when I needed it. It is fair to say that I would never have made it this far without my incredible parents, Tricia and Adrian. Thank you so much for supporting me in every way possible. I am so grateful for all that you have done for me. Finally, I would like to thank Victoria University of Wellington for providing me with a Victoria Masters by Thesis Fees scholarship to complete my research. IV Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................... I Acknowledgements .......................................................................................... III List of Figures ..................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables ....................................................................................................... 4 List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................... 5 Chapter One: General introduction ................................................................. 9 1.1. Background ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.2. Vertebrate growth ............................................................................................................... 9 1.3. Regulation of skeletal muscle mass in teleost fish............................................................ 11 1.4. Growth and selective breeding.......................................................................................... 14 1.5. Genetic marker technologies and selective breeding for growth ...................................... 16 1.6. Study species: The Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus ...................................... 18 1.7. Thesis aims........................................................................................................................ 19 Chapter Two: Characterisation of the growth hormone gene in Chrysophrys auratus and the evolutionary history of growth hormone in Perciform species .............................................................................................. 20 2.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 20 2.2. Methods............................................................................................................................. 21 2.2.1. Characterisation of the GH gene sequence in C. auratus ......................................... 21 2.2.2. Phylogenetic analysis of the GH gene in Perciform fish ........................................... 24 2.3. Results ............................................................................................................................... 25 2.3.1. Structure of the caGH gene........................................................................................ 25 2.3.2. Phylogenetic analysis of the GH gene in Perciform fish ........................................... 29 2.4. Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 34 2.4.1. Structure of the caGH gene........................................................................................ 34 2.4.2. Phylogenetic analysis of the GH gene in Perciform fish ........................................... 36 2.4.3. Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 38 Chapter Three: Assessment of the Chrysophrys auratus growth hormone intron 1 and 3 repeat region variation and their association with growth performance .....................................................................................................