Research

Publications
Title: Transcriptome profiling revealed the growth superiority of hybrid pufferfish derived from Takifugu obscurus female x Takifugu rubripes male
First author: Gao, Fan-Xiang; Lu, Wei-Jia; Shi, Yan; Zhu, Hao-yong; Wang, Yao-hui; Tu, Han-qing; Gao, Yang; Zhou, Li; Gui, Jian-Fang; Zhao, Zhe
Journal: COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS
Years: 2021
Volume / issue: /
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100912
Abstract: Hybridization is an efficient method to breed new strains of aquatic animals. In the present study, we produced a hybrid puffer by crossing female obscure puffer with male tiger puffer. The hybrid puffer could live in fresh water like obscure puffer and exhibited growth superiority. The averaged body weight of 4- and 6-month-old hybrid puffer were respectively 38.06% and 38.93% higher than that of obscure puffer. Then, we analyzed the underlying genetic basis for the growth advantage of hybrid puffer by comparative transcriptome analysis. A total number of 4264 and 1285 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were respectively identified from pituitary and liver transcriptome profiles between hybrid puffer and obscure puffer. Comprehensive analysis showed that the DEGs related with cell proliferation and differentiation, and protein synthesis and export, specifically showed higher expression levels in hybrid puffer, such as ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, protein export and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum. While the DEGs involved in gametogenesis and carbohydrate and energy metabolism highly expressed in obscure puffer, such as oxidative phosphorylation, citrate cycle, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation and oocyte meiosis. Furthermore, a series of candidate genes related to the growth superiority of hybrid puffer were identified, such as fn1a, ptprc, plcg2, igf1, tgf beta 1, bmp4, abl1, col1a2, col1a1a, and myl9a. These results will be beneficial to understand the molecular basis of growth superiority and helpful to the hybrid breeding of pufferfish.