Sample records for salmonid est genomic

  1. A salmonid EST genomic study: genes, duplications, phylogeny and microarrays

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background: Salmonids are of interest because of their relatively recent genome duplication, and their extensive use in wild fisheries and aquaculture. A comprehensive gene list and a comparison of genes in some of the different species provide valuable genomic information for one of the most wide...

  2. Development and Application of a Salmonid EST Database and cDNA Microarray: Data Mining and Interspecific Hybridization Characteristics

    PubMed Central

    Rise, Matthew L.; von Schalburg, Kristian R.; Brown, Gordon D.; Mawer, Melanie A.; Devlin, Robert H.; Kuipers, Nathanael; Busby, Maura; Beetz-Sargent, Marianne; Alberto, Roberto; Gibbs, A. Ross; Hunt, Peter; Shukin, Robert; Zeznik, Jeffrey A.; Nelson, Colleen; Jones, Simon R.M.; Smailus, Duane E.; Jones, Steven J.M.; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Marra, Marco A.; Butterfield, Yaron S.N.; Stott, Jeff M.; Ng, Siemon H.S.; Davidson, William S.; Koop, Ben F.

    2004-01-01

    We report 80,388 ESTs from 23 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) cDNA libraries (61,819 ESTs), 6 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cDNA libraries (14,544 ESTs), 2 chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) cDNA libraries (1317 ESTs), 2 sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) cDNA libraries (1243 ESTs), and 2 lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) cDNA libraries (1465 ESTs). The majority of these are 3′ sequences, allowing discrimination between paralogs arising from a recent genome duplication in the salmonid lineage. Sequence assembly reveals 28,710 different S. salar, 8981 O. mykiss, 1085 O. tshawytscha, 520 O. nerka, and 1176 C. clupeaformis putative transcripts. We annotate the submitted portion of our EST database by molecular function. Higher- and lower-molecular-weight fractions of libraries are shown to contain distinct gene sets, and higher rates of gene discovery are associated with higher-molecular weight libraries. Pyloric caecum library group annotations indicate this organ may function in redox control and as a barrier against systemic uptake of xenobiotics. A microarray is described, containing 7356 salmonid elements representing 3557 different cDNAs. Analyses of cross-species hybridizations to this cDNA microarray indicate that this resource may be used for studies involving all salmonids. PMID:14962987

  3. Functional Analysis of All Salmonid Genomes (FAASG): an international initiative supporting future salmonid research, conservation and aquaculture

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    We describe an emerging initiative - the 'Functional Analysis of All Salmonid Genomes' (FAASG), which will leverage the extensive trait diversity that has evolved since a whole genome duplication event in the salmonid ancestor, to develop an integrative understanding of the functional genomic basis ...

  4. Conservation genomics: coming to a salmonid near you.

    PubMed

    Piccolo, J J

    2016-12-01

    Using the examples on hereditary and environmental factors affecting salmonid populations, this paper demonstrates that ecologists have long appreciated the importance of local adaptation and intraspecific diversity for salmonid conservation. Conservationists, however, need to embrace the genomics revolution and use new insights to improve salmonid management. At the same time, researchers must be forthcoming with the uses and limitations of genomics, and conservation must move forward in the face of scientific uncertainty. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  5. Functional Annotation of All Salmonid Genomes (FAASG): an international initiative supporting future salmonid research, conservation and aquaculture.

    PubMed

    Macqueen, Daniel J; Primmer, Craig R; Houston, Ross D; Nowak, Barbara F; Bernatchez, Louis; Bergseth, Steinar; Davidson, William S; Gallardo-Escárate, Cristian; Goldammer, Tom; Guiguen, Yann; Iturra, Patricia; Kijas, James W; Koop, Ben F; Lien, Sigbjørn; Maass, Alejandro; Martin, Samuel A M; McGinnity, Philip; Montecino, Martin; Naish, Kerry A; Nichols, Krista M; Ólafsson, Kristinn; Omholt, Stig W; Palti, Yniv; Plastow, Graham S; Rexroad, Caird E; Rise, Matthew L; Ritchie, Rachael J; Sandve, Simen R; Schulte, Patricia M; Tello, Alfredo; Vidal, Rodrigo; Vik, Jon Olav; Wargelius, Anna; Yáñez, José Manuel

    2017-06-27

    We describe an emerging initiative - the 'Functional Annotation of All Salmonid Genomes' (FAASG), which will leverage the extensive trait diversity that has evolved since a whole genome duplication event in the salmonid ancestor, to develop an integrative understanding of the functional genomic basis of phenotypic variation. The outcomes of FAASG will have diverse applications, ranging from improved understanding of genome evolution, to improving the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production, supporting the future of fundamental and applied research in an iconic fish lineage of major societal importance.

  6. Genetics and genomics of disease resistance in salmonid species

    PubMed Central

    Yáñez, José M.; Houston, Ross D.; Newman, Scott

    2014-01-01

    Infectious and parasitic diseases generate large economic losses in salmon farming. A feasible and sustainable alternative to prevent disease outbreaks may be represented by genetic improvement for disease resistance. To include disease resistance into the breeding goal, prior knowledge of the levels of genetic variation for these traits is required. Furthermore, the information from the genetic architecture and molecular factors involved in resistance against diseases may be used to accelerate the genetic progress for these traits. In this regard, marker assisted selection and genomic selection are approaches which incorporate molecular information to increase the accuracy when predicting the genetic merit of selection candidates. In this article we review and discuss key aspects related to disease resistance in salmonid species, from both a genetic and genomic perspective, with emphasis in the applicability of disease resistance traits into breeding programs in salmonids. PMID:25505486

  7. Targeted sequencing for high-resolution evolutionary analyses following genome duplication in salmonid fish: Proof of concept for key components of the insulin-like growth factor axis.

    PubMed

    Lappin, Fiona M; Shaw, Rebecca L; Macqueen, Daniel J

    2016-12-01

    High-throughput sequencing has revolutionised comparative and evolutionary genome biology. It has now become relatively commonplace to generate multiple genomes and/or transcriptomes to characterize the evolution of large taxonomic groups of interest. Nevertheless, such efforts may be unsuited to some research questions or remain beyond the scope of some research groups. Here we show that targeted high-throughput sequencing offers a viable alternative to study genome evolution across a vertebrate family of great scientific interest. Specifically, we exploited sequence capture and Illumina sequencing to characterize the evolution of key components from the insulin-like growth (IGF) signalling axis of salmonid fish at unprecedented phylogenetic resolution. The IGF axis represents a central governor of vertebrate growth and its core components were expanded by whole genome duplication in the salmonid ancestor ~95Ma. Using RNA baits synthesised to genes encoding the complete family of IGF binding proteins (IGFBP) and an IGF hormone (IGF2), we captured, sequenced and assembled orthologous and paralogous exons from species representing all ten salmonid genera. This approach generated 299 novel sequences, most as complete or near-complete protein-coding sequences. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed congruent evolutionary histories for all nineteen recognized salmonid IGFBP family members and identified novel salmonid-specific IGF2 paralogues. Moreover, we reconstructed the evolution of duplicated IGF axis paralogues across a replete salmonid phylogeny, revealing complex historic selection regimes - both ancestral to salmonids and lineage-restricted - that frequently involved asymmetric paralogue divergence under positive and/or relaxed purifying selection. Our findings add to an emerging literature highlighting diverse applications for targeted sequencing in comparative-evolutionary genomics. We also set out a viable approach to obtain large sets of nuclear genes for any

  8. Fish and chips: Various methodologies demonstrate utility of a 16,006-gene salmonid microarray

    PubMed Central

    von Schalburg, Kristian R; Rise, Matthew L; Cooper, Glenn A; Brown, Gordon D; Gibbs, A Ross; Nelson, Colleen C; Davidson, William S; Koop, Ben F

    2005-01-01

    Background We have developed and fabricated a salmonid microarray containing cDNAs representing 16,006 genes. The genes spotted on the array have been stringently selected from Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout expressed sequence tag (EST) databases. The EST databases presently contain over 300,000 sequences from over 175 salmonid cDNA libraries derived from a wide variety of tissues and different developmental stages. In order to evaluate the utility of the microarray, a number of hybridization techniques and screening methods have been developed and tested. Results We have analyzed and evaluated the utility of a microarray containing 16,006 (16K) salmonid cDNAs in a variety of potential experimental settings. We quantified the amount of transcriptome binding that occurred in cross-species, organ complexity and intraspecific variation hybridization studies. We also developed a methodology to rapidly identify and confirm the contents of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library containing Atlantic salmon genomic DNA. Conclusion We validate and demonstrate the usefulness of the 16K microarray over a wide range of teleosts, even for transcriptome targets from species distantly related to salmonids. We show the potential of the use of the microarray in a variety of experimental settings through hybridization studies that examine the binding of targets derived from different organs and tissues. Intraspecific variation in transcriptome expression is evaluated and discussed. Finally, BAC hybridizations are demonstrated as a rapid and accurate means to identify gene content. PMID:16164747

  9. Screening of duplicated loci reveals hidden divergence patterns in a complex salmonid genome

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Limborg, Morten T.; Larson, Wesley; Seeb, Lisa W.; Seeb, James E.

    2017-01-01

    A whole-genome duplication (WGD) doubles the entire genomic content of a species and is thought to have catalysed adaptive radiation in some polyploid-origin lineages. However, little is known about general consequences of a WGD because gene duplicates (i.e., paralogs) are commonly filtered in genomic studies; such filtering may remove substantial portions of the genome in data sets from polyploid-origin species. We demonstrate a new method that enables genome-wide scans for signatures of selection at both nonduplicated and duplicated loci by taking locus-specific copy number into account. We apply this method to RAD sequence data from different ecotypes of a polyploid-origin salmonid (Oncorhynchus nerka) and reveal signatures of divergent selection that would have been missed if duplicated loci were filtered. We also find conserved signatures of elevated divergence at pairs of homeologous chromosomes with residual tetrasomic inheritance, suggesting that joint evolution of some nondiverged gene duplicates may affect the adaptive potential of these genes. These findings illustrate that including duplicated loci in genomic analyses enables novel insights into the evolutionary consequences of WGDs and local segmental gene duplications.

  10. Genome specific PPARαB duplicates in salmonids and insights into estrogenic regulation in brown trout.

    PubMed

    Madureira, Tânia Vieira; Pinheiro, Ivone; de Paula Freire, Rafaelle; Rocha, Eduardo; Castro, Luis Filipe; Urbatzka, Ralph

    2017-06-01

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are key regulators of many processes in vertebrates, such as carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. PPARα, a member of the PPAR nuclear receptor gene subfamily (NR1C1), is involved in fatty acid metabolism, namely in peroxisomal β-oxidation. Two gene paralogues, pparαA and pparαB, were described in several teleost species with their origin dating back to the teleost-specific genome duplication (3R). Given the additional salmonid-specific genome duplication (4R), four genes could be theoretically anticipated for this gene subfamily. In this work, we examined the pparα gene repertoire in brown trout, Salmo trutta f. fario. Data disclosed two pparα-like sequences in brown trout. Phylogenetic analyses further revealed that the isolated genes are most likely genome pparαB duplicates, pparαBa and pparαBb, while pparαA is apparently absent in salmonids. Both genes showed a ubiquitous mRNA expression across a panel of 11 different organs. In vitro exposed primary brown trout hepatocytes strongly suggest that pparα gene paralogues are differently regulated by ethinylestradiol (EE2). PparαBb mRNA expression significantly decreased with dosage, reaching significance after exposure to 50μM EE2, while pparαBa mRNA increased, significant at 1μM EE2. The present data enhances the understanding of pparα function and evolution in teleost, and reinforces the evidence of a potential crosstalk between estrogenic and pparα signaling pathways. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Comparative Analysis of the Shared Sex-Determination Region (SDR) among Salmonid Fishes.

    PubMed

    Faber-Hammond, Joshua J; Phillips, Ruth B; Brown, Kim H

    2015-06-25

    Salmonids present an excellent model for studying evolution of young sex-chromosomes. Within the genus, Oncorhynchus, at least six independent sex-chromosome pairs have evolved, many unique to individual species. This variation results from the movement of the sex-determining gene, sdY, throughout the salmonid genome. While sdY is known to define sexual differentiation in salmonids, the mechanism of its movement throughout the genome has remained elusive due to high frequencies of repetitive elements, rDNA sequences, and transposons surrounding the sex-determining regions (SDR). Despite these difficulties, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library clones from both rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon containing the sdY region have been reported. Here, we report the sequences for these BACs as well as the extended sequence for the known SDR in Chinook gained through genome walking methods. Comparative analysis allowed us to study the overlapping SDRs from three unique salmonid Y chromosomes to define the specific content, size, and variation present between the species. We found approximately 4.1 kb of orthologous sequence common to all three species, which contains the genetic content necessary for masculinization. The regions contain transposable elements that may be responsible for the translocations of the SDR throughout salmonid genomes and we examine potential mechanistic roles of each one. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  12. Complete genome sequence of Yersinia ruckeri str. CSF007-82, etiologic agent of enteric redmouth disease in salmonid fish

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    We present the complete, closed and finished chromosomal and extra-chromosomal genome sequences of Y. ruckeri strain CSF007-82, etiologic agent of enteric red mouth disease in salmonid fish. The chromosome is 3,799,036 bp with a G+C content of 47.5% and encodes 3,530 predicted CDS, 7 ribosomal opero...

  13. Salmonid genomes have a remarkably expanded akirin family, coexpressed with genes from conserved pathways governing skeletal muscle growth and catabolism.

    PubMed

    Macqueen, Daniel J; Kristjánsson, Bjarni K; Johnston, Ian A

    2010-06-01

    Metazoan akirin genes regulate innate immunity, myogenesis, and carcinogenesis. Invertebrates typically have one family member, while most tetrapod and teleost vertebrates have one to three. We demonstrate an expanded repertoire of eight family members in genomes of four salmonid fishes, owing to paralog preservation after three tetraploidization events. Retention of paralogs secondarily lost in other teleosts may be related to functional diversification and posttranslational regulation. We hypothesized that salmonid akirins would be transcriptionally regulated in fast-twitch skeletal muscle during activation of conserved pathways governing catabolism and growth. The in vivo nutritional state of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) was experimentally manipulated, and transcript levels for akirin family members and 26 other genes were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), allowing the establishment of a similarity network of expression profiles. In fasted muscle, a class of akirins was upregulated, with one family member showing high coexpression with catabolic genes coding the NF-kappaB p65 subunit, E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, E3 ubiquitin ligases, and IGF-I receptors. Another class of akirin was upregulated with subsequent feeding, coexpressed with 14-3-3 protein genes. There was no similarity between expression profiles of akirins with IGF hormones or binding protein genes. The level of phylogenetic relatedness of akirin family members was not a strong predictor of transcriptional responses to nutritional state, or differences in transcript abundance levels, indicating a complex pattern of regulatory evolution. The salmonid akirins epitomize the complexity linking the genome to physiological phenotypes of vertebrates with a history of tetraploidization.

  14. Autopolyploidy genome duplication preserves other ancient genome duplications in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

    PubMed

    Christensen, Kris A; Davidson, William S

    2017-01-01

    Salmonids (e.g. Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, and trouts) have a long legacy of genome duplication. In addition to three ancient genome duplications that all teleosts are thought to share, salmonids have had one additional genome duplication. We explored a methodology for untangling these duplications from each other to better understand them in Atlantic salmon. In this methodology, homeologous regions (paralogous/duplicated genomic regions originating from a whole genome duplication) from the most recent genome duplication were assumed to have duplicated genes at greater density and have greater sequence similarity. This assumption was used to differentiate duplicated gene pairs in Atlantic salmon that are either from the most recent genome duplication or from earlier duplications. From a comparison with multiple vertebrate species, it is clear that Atlantic salmon have retained more duplicated genes from ancient genome duplications than other vertebrates--often at higher density in the genome and containing fewer synonymous mutations. It may be that polysomic inheritance is the mechanism responsible for maintaining ancient gene duplicates in salmonids. Polysomic inheritance (when multiple chromosomes pair during meiosis) is thought to be relatively common in salmonids compared to other vertebrate species. These findings illuminate how genome duplications may not only increase the number of duplicated genes, but may also be involved in the maintenance of them from previous genome duplications as well.

  15. Wheat EST resources for functional genomics of abiotic stress

    PubMed Central

    Houde, Mario; Belcaid, Mahdi; Ouellet, François; Danyluk, Jean; Monroy, Antonio F; Dryanova, Ani; Gulick, Patrick; Bergeron, Anne; Laroche, André; Links, Matthew G; MacCarthy, Luke; Crosby, William L; Sarhan, Fathey

    2006-01-01

    Background Wheat is an excellent species to study freezing tolerance and other abiotic stresses. However, the sequence of the wheat genome has not been completely characterized due to its complexity and large size. To circumvent this obstacle and identify genes involved in cold acclimation and associated stresses, a large scale EST sequencing approach was undertaken by the Functional Genomics of Abiotic Stress (FGAS) project. Results We generated 73,521 quality-filtered ESTs from eleven cDNA libraries constructed from wheat plants exposed to various abiotic stresses and at different developmental stages. In addition, 196,041 ESTs for which tracefiles were available from the National Science Foundation wheat EST sequencing program and DuPont were also quality-filtered and used in the analysis. Clustering of the combined ESTs with d2_cluster and TGICL yielded a few large clusters containing several thousand ESTs that were refractory to routine clustering techniques. To resolve this problem, the sequence proximity and "bridges" were identified by an e-value distance graph to manually break clusters into smaller groups. Assembly of the resolved ESTs generated a 75,488 unique sequence set (31,580 contigs and 43,908 singletons/singlets). Digital expression analyses indicated that the FGAS dataset is enriched in stress-regulated genes compared to the other public datasets. Over 43% of the unique sequence set was annotated and classified into functional categories according to Gene Ontology. Conclusion We have annotated 29,556 different sequences, an almost 5-fold increase in annotated sequences compared to the available wheat public databases. Digital expression analysis combined with gene annotation helped in the identification of several pathways associated with abiotic stress. The genomic resources and knowledge developed by this project will contribute to a better understanding of the different mechanisms that govern stress tolerance in wheat and other cereals. PMID

  16. Piscine reovirus: Genomic and molecular phylogenetic analysis from farmed and wild salmonids collected on the Canada/US Pacific Coast

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Siah, Ahmed; Morrison, Diane B.; Fringuelli, Elena; Savage, Paul S.; Richmond, Zina; Purcell, Maureen K.; Johns, Robert; Johnson, Stewart C.; Sakasida, Sonja M.

    2015-01-01

    Piscine reovirus (PRV) is a double stranded non-enveloped RNA virus detected in farmed and wild salmonids. This study examined the phylogenetic relationships among different PRV sequence types present in samples from salmonids in Western Canada and the US, including Alaska (US), British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (US). Tissues testing positive for PRV were partially sequenced for segment S1, producing 71 sequences that grouped into 10 unique sequence types. Sequence analysis revealed no identifiable geographical or temporal variation among the sequence types. Identical sequence types were found in fish sampled in 2001, 2005 and 2014. In addition, PRV positive samples from fish derived from Alaska, British Columbia and Washington State share identical sequence types. Comparative analysis of the phylogenetic tree indicated that Canada/US Pacific Northwest sequences formed a subgroup with some Norwegian sequence types (group II), distinct from other Norwegian and Chilean sequences (groups I, III and IV). Representative PRV positive samples from farmed and wild fish in British Columbia and Washington State were subjected to genome sequencing using next generation sequencing methods. Individual analysis of each of the 10 partial segments indicated that the Canadian and US PRV sequence types clustered separately from available whole genome sequences of some Norwegian and Chilean sequences for all segments except the segment S4. In summary, PRV was genetically homogenous over a large geographic distance (Alaska to Washington State), and the sequence types were relatively stable over a 13 year period.

  17. Piscine Reovirus: Genomic and Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis from Farmed and Wild Salmonids Collected on the Canada/US Pacific Coast

    PubMed Central

    Siah, Ahmed; Morrison, Diane B.; Fringuelli, Elena; Savage, Paul; Richmond, Zina; Johns, Robert; Purcell, Maureen K.; Johnson, Stewart C.; Saksida, Sonja M.

    2015-01-01

    Piscine reovirus (PRV) is a double stranded non-enveloped RNA virus detected in farmed and wild salmonids. This study examined the phylogenetic relationships among different PRV sequence types present in samples from salmonids in Western Canada and the US, including Alaska (US), British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State (US). Tissues testing positive for PRV were partially sequenced for segment S1, producing 71 sequences that grouped into 10 unique sequence types. Sequence analysis revealed no identifiable geographical or temporal variation among the sequence types. Identical sequence types were found in fish sampled in 2001, 2005 and 2014. In addition, PRV positive samples from fish derived from Alaska, British Columbia and Washington State share identical sequence types. Comparative analysis of the phylogenetic tree indicated that Canada/US Pacific Northwest sequences formed a subgroup with some Norwegian sequence types (group II), distinct from other Norwegian and Chilean sequences (groups I, III and IV). Representative PRV positive samples from farmed and wild fish in British Columbia and Washington State were subjected to genome sequencing using next generation sequencing methods. Individual analysis of each of the 10 partial segments indicated that the Canadian and US PRV sequence types clustered separately from available whole genome sequences of some Norwegian and Chilean sequences for all segments except the segment S4. In summary, PRV was genetically homogenous over a large geographic distance (Alaska to Washington State), and the sequence types were relatively stable over a 13 year period. PMID:26536673

  18. ASFinder: a tool for genome-wide identification of alternatively splicing transcripts from EST-derived sequences.

    PubMed

    Min, Xiang Jia

    2013-01-01

    Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) are a rich resource for identifying Alternatively Splicing (AS) genes. The ASFinder webserver is designed to identify AS isoforms from EST-derived sequences. Two approaches are implemented in ASFinder. If no genomic sequences are provided, the server performs a local BLASTN to identify AS isoforms from ESTs having both ends aligned but an internal segment unaligned. Otherwise, ASFinder uses SIM4 to map ESTs to the genome, then the overlapping ESTs that are mapped to the same genomic locus and have internal variable exon/intron boundaries are identified as AS isoforms. The tool is available at http://proteomics.ysu.edu/tools/ASFinder.html.

  19. Clock genes and their genomic distributions in three species of salmonid fishes: Associations with genes regulating sexual maturation and cell cycling

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Clock family genes encode transcription factors that regulate clock-controlled genes and thus regulate many physiological mechanisms/processes in a circadian fashion. Clock1 duplicates and copies of Clock3 and NPAS2-like genes were partially characterized (genomic sequencing) and mapped using family-based indels/SNPs in rainbow trout (RT)(Oncorhynchus mykiss), Arctic charr (AC)(Salvelinus alpinus), and Atlantic salmon (AS)(Salmo salar) mapping panels. Results Clock1 duplicates mapped to linkage groups RT-8/-24, AC-16/-13 and AS-2/-18. Clock3/NPAS2-like genes mapped to RT-9/-20, AC-20/-43, and AS-5. Most of these linkage group regions containing the Clock gene duplicates were derived from the most recent 4R whole genome duplication event specific to the salmonids. These linkage groups contain quantitative trait loci (QTL) for life history and growth traits (i.e., reproduction and cell cycling). Comparative synteny analyses with other model teleost species reveal a high degree of conservation for genes in these chromosomal regions suggesting that functionally related or co-regulated genes are clustered in syntenic blocks. For example, anti-müllerian hormone (amh), regulating sexual maturation, and ornithine decarboxylase antizymes (oaz1 and oaz2), regulating cell cycling, are contained within these syntenic blocks. Conclusions Synteny analyses indicate that regions homologous to major life-history QTL regions in salmonids contain many candidate genes that are likely to influence reproduction and cell cycling. The order of these genes is highly conserved across the vertebrate species examined, and as such, these genes may make up a functional cluster of genes that are likely co-regulated. CLOCK, as a transcription factor, is found within this block and therefore has the potential to cis-regulate the processes influenced by these genes. Additionally, clock-controlled genes (CCGs) are located in other life-history QTL regions within salmonids suggesting that

  20. Salmonid Chromosome Evolution as Revealed by a Novel Method for Comparing RADseq Linkage Maps

    PubMed Central

    Gosselin, Thierry; Normandeau, Eric; Lamothe, Manuel; Isabel, Nathalie; Audet, Céline; Bernatchez, Louis

    2016-01-01

    Whole genome duplication (WGD) can provide material for evolutionary innovation. Family Salmonidae is ideal for studying the effects of WGD as the ancestral salmonid underwent WGD relatively recently, ∼65 Ma, then rediploidized and diversified. Extensive synteny between homologous chromosome arms occurs in extant salmonids, but each species has both conserved and unique chromosome arm fusions and fissions. Assembly of large, outbred eukaryotic genomes can be difficult, but structural rearrangements within such taxa can be investigated using linkage maps. RAD sequencing provides unprecedented ability to generate high-density linkage maps for nonmodel species, but can result in low numbers of homologous markers between species due to phylogenetic distance or differences in library preparation. Here, we generate a high-density linkage map (3,826 markers) for the Salvelinus genera (Brook Charr S. fontinalis), and then identify corresponding chromosome arms among the other available salmonid high-density linkage maps, including six species of Oncorhynchus, and one species for each of Salmo, Coregonus, and the nonduplicated sister group for the salmonids, Northern Pike Esox lucius for identifying post-duplicated homeologs. To facilitate this process, we developed MapComp to identify identical and proximate (i.e. nearby) markers between linkage maps using a reference genome of a related species as an intermediate, increasing the number of comparable markers between linkage maps by 5-fold. This enabled a characterization of the most likely history of retained chromosomal rearrangements post-WGD, and several conserved chromosomal inversions. Analyses of RADseq-based linkage maps from other taxa will also benefit from MapComp, available at: https://github.com/enormandeau/mapcomp/ PMID:28173098

  1. Refined annotation and assembly of the Tetrahymena thermophila genome sequence through EST analysis, comparative genomic hybridization, and targeted gap closure

    PubMed Central

    Coyne, Robert S; Thiagarajan, Mathangi; Jones, Kristie M; Wortman, Jennifer R; Tallon, Luke J; Haas, Brian J; Cassidy-Hanley, Donna M; Wiley, Emily A; Smith, Joshua J; Collins, Kathleen; Lee, Suzanne R; Couvillion, Mary T; Liu, Yifan; Garg, Jyoti; Pearlman, Ronald E; Hamilton, Eileen P; Orias, Eduardo; Eisen, Jonathan A; Methé, Barbara A

    2008-01-01

    Background Tetrahymena thermophila, a widely studied model for cellular and molecular biology, is a binucleated single-celled organism with a germline micronucleus (MIC) and somatic macronucleus (MAC). The recent draft MAC genome assembly revealed low sequence repetitiveness, a result of the epigenetic removal of invasive DNA elements found only in the MIC genome. Such low repetitiveness makes complete closure of the MAC genome a feasible goal, which to achieve would require standard closure methods as well as removal of minor MIC contamination of the MAC genome assembly. Highly accurate preliminary annotation of Tetrahymena's coding potential was hindered by the lack of both comparative genomic sequence information from close relatives and significant amounts of cDNA evidence, thus limiting the value of the genomic information and also leaving unanswered certain questions, such as the frequency of alternative splicing. Results We addressed the problem of MIC contamination using comparative genomic hybridization with purified MIC and MAC DNA probes against a whole genome oligonucleotide microarray, allowing the identification of 763 genome scaffolds likely to contain MIC-limited DNA sequences. We also employed standard genome closure methods to essentially finish over 60% of the MAC genome. For the improvement of annotation, we have sequenced and analyzed over 60,000 verified EST reads from a variety of cellular growth and development conditions. Using this EST evidence, a combination of automated and manual reannotation efforts led to updates that affect 16% of the current protein-coding gene models. By comparing EST abundance, many genes showing apparent differential expression between these conditions were identified. Rare instances of alternative splicing and uses of the non-standard amino acid selenocysteine were also identified. Conclusion We report here significant progress in genome closure and reannotation of Tetrahymena thermophila. Our experience to date

  2. JANE: efficient mapping of prokaryotic ESTs and variable length sequence reads on related template genomes

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Background ESTs or variable sequence reads can be available in prokaryotic studies well before a complete genome is known. Use cases include (i) transcriptome studies or (ii) single cell sequencing of bacteria. Without suitable software their further analysis and mapping would have to await finalization of the corresponding genome. Results The tool JANE rapidly maps ESTs or variable sequence reads in prokaryotic sequencing and transcriptome efforts to related template genomes. It provides an easy-to-use graphics interface for information retrieval and a toolkit for EST or nucleotide sequence function prediction. Furthermore, we developed for rapid mapping an enhanced sequence alignment algorithm which reassembles and evaluates high scoring pairs provided from the BLAST algorithm. Rapid assembly on and replacement of the template genome by sequence reads or mapped ESTs is achieved. This is illustrated (i) by data from Staphylococci as well as from a Blattabacteria sequencing effort, (ii) mapping single cell sequencing reads is shown for poribacteria to sister phylum representative Rhodopirellula Baltica SH1. The algorithm has been implemented in a web-server accessible at http://jane.bioapps.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de. Conclusion Rapid prokaryotic EST mapping or mapping of sequence reads is achieved applying JANE even without knowing the cognate genome sequence. PMID:19943962

  3. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery in duplicated genomes: intron-primed exon-crossing (IPEC) as a strategy for avoiding amplification of duplicated loci in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and other salmonid fishes

    PubMed Central

    Ryynänen, Heikki J; Primmer, Craig R

    2006-01-01

    Background Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) represent the most abundant type of DNA variation in the vertebrate genome, and their applications as genetic markers in numerous studies of molecular ecology and conservation of natural populations are emerging. Recent large-scale sequencing projects in several fish species have provided a vast amount of data in public databases, which can be utilized in novel SNP discovery in salmonids. However, the suggested duplicated nature of the salmonid genome may hamper SNP characterization if the primers designed in conserved gene regions amplify multiple loci. Results Here we introduce a new intron-primed exon-crossing (IPEC) method in an attempt to overcome this duplication problem, and also evaluate different priming methods for SNP discovery in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and other salmonids. A total of 69 loci with differing priming strategies were screened in S. salar, and 27 of these produced ~13 kb of high-quality sequence data consisting of 19 SNPs or indels (one per 680 bp). The SNP frequency and the overall nucleotide diversity (3.99 × 10-4) in S. salar was lower than reported in a majority of other organisms, which may suggest a relative young population history for Atlantic salmon. A subset of primers used in cross-species analyses revealed considerable variation in the SNP frequencies and nucleotide diversities in other salmonids. Conclusion Sequencing success was significantly higher with the new IPEC primers; thus the total number of loci to screen in order to identify one potential polymorphic site was six times less with this new strategy. Given that duplication may hamper SNP discovery in some species, the IPEC method reported here is an alternative way of identifying novel polymorphisms in such cases. PMID:16872523

  4. Regulatory divergence of homeologous Atlantic salmon elovl5 genes following the salmonid-specific whole-genome duplication.

    PubMed

    Carmona-Antoñanzas, Greta; Zheng, Xiaozhong; Tocher, Douglas R; Leaver, Michael J

    2016-10-10

    Fatty acyl elongase 5 (elovl5) is a critical enzyme in the vertebrate biosynthetic pathway which produces the physiologically essential long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), docosahexenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) from 18 carbon fatty acids precursors. In contrast to most other vertebrates, Atlantic salmon possess two copies of elovl5 (elovl5a and elovl5b) as a result of a whole-genome duplication (WGD) which occurred at the base of the salmonid lineage. WGDs have had a major influence on vertebrate evolution, providing extra genetic material, enabling neofunctionalization to accelerate adaptation and speciation. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which such duplicated homeologous genes diverge. Here we show that homeologous Atlantic salmon elovl5a and elovl5b genes have been asymmetrically colonised by transposon-like elements. Identical locations and identities of insertions are also present in the rainbow trout duplicate elovl5 genes, but not in the nearest extant representative preduplicated teleost, the northern pike. Both elovl5 salmon duplicates possessed conserved regulatory elements that promoted Srebp1- and Srebp2-dependent transcription, and differences in the magnitude of Srebp response between promoters could be attributed to a tandem duplication of SRE and NF-Y cofactor binding sites in elovl5b. Furthermore, an insertion in the promoter region of elovl5a confers responsiveness to Lxr/Rxr transcriptional activation. Our results indicate that most, but not all, transposon mobilisation into elovl5 genes occurred after the split from the common ancestor of pike and salmon, but before more recent salmonid speciations, and that divergence of elovl5 regulatory regions have enabled neofuntionalization by promoting differential expression of these homeologous genes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Introduced northern pike consumption of salmonids in Southcentral Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sepulveda, Adam J.; Rutz, David S.; Dupuis, Aaron W; Shields, Patrick A; Dunker, Kristine J.

    2015-01-01

    The impacts of introduced northern pike (Esox lucius) on salmonid populations have attracted much attention because salmonids are popular subsistence, sport and commercial fish. Concern over the predatory effects of introduced pike on salmonids is especially high in Southcentral Alaska, where pike were illegally introduced to the Susitna River basin in the 1950s. We used pike abundance, growth, and diet estimates and bioenergetics models to characterise the realised and potential consumptive impacts that introduced pike (age 2 and older) have on salmonids in Alexander Creek, a tributary to the Susitna River. We found that juvenile salmonids were the dominant prey item in pike diets and that pike could consume up to 1.10 metric tons (realised consumption) and 1.66 metric tons (potential consumption) of juvenile salmonids in a summer. Age 3–4 pike had the highest per capita consumption of juvenile salmonids, and age 2 and age 3–4 pike had the highest overall consumption of juvenile salmonid biomass. Using historical data on Chinook salmon and pike potential consumption of juvenile salmonids, we found that pike consumption of juvenile salmonids may lead to collapsed salmon stocks in Alexander Creek. Taken together, our results indicate that pike consume a substantial biomass of juvenile salmonids in Alexander Creek and that coexistence of pike and salmon is unlikely without management actions to reduce or eliminate introduced pike.

  6. Novel RAD sequence data reveal a lack of genomic divergence between dietary ecotypes in a landlocked salmonid population

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Limborg, Morten T.; Larson, Wesley; Shedd, Kyle; Seeb, Lisa W.; Seeb, James E.

    2017-01-01

    Preservation of heritable ecological diversity within species and populations is a key challenge for managing natural resources and wild populations. Salmonid fish are iconic and socio-economically important species for commercial, aquaculture, and recreational fisheries across the globe. Many salmonids are known to exhibit ecological divergence within species, including distinct feeding ecotypes within the same lakes. Here we used 5559 SNPs, derived from RAD sequencing, to perform population genetic comparisons between two dietary ecotypes of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Jo-Jo Lake, Alaska (USA). We tested the standing hypothesis that these two ecotypes are currently diverging as a result of adaptation to distinct dietary niches; results support earlier conclusions of a single panmictic population. The RAD sequence data revealed 40 new SNPs not previously detected in the species, and our sequence data can be used in future studies of ecotypic diversity in salmonid species.

  7. Food supplies of stream-dwelling salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wipfli, Mark S.

    2009-01-01

    Much is known about the importance of the physical characteristics of salmonid habitat in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, with far less known about the food sources and trophic processes within these habitats, and the role they play in regulating salmonid productivity. Freshwater food webs supporting salmonids in Alaska rely heavily on nutrient, detritus and prey subsidies from both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Adult salmon provide a massive input of marine biomass to riverine ecosystems each year when they spawn, die, and decompose, and are a critical food source for young salmon in late summer and fall; riparian forests provide terrestrial invertebrates to streams, which at times comprise over half of the food ingested by stream-resident salmonids; and up-slope, fishless headwater streams are a year-round source of invertebrates and detritus for fish downstream. The quantity of these food resources vary widely depending on source, season, and spatial position within a watershed. Terrestrial invertebrate inputs from riparian habitats are generally the most abundant food source in summer. Juvenile salmonids in streams consume roughly equal amounts of freshwater and terrestrially-derived invertebrates during most of the growing season, but ingest substantial amounts of marine resources (salmon eggs and decomposing salmon tissue) when these food items are present. Quantity, quality, and timing of food resources all appear to be important driving forces in aquatic food web dynamics, community nutrition, and salmonid growth and survival in riverine ecosystems.

  8. Genomic diversity and evolution of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the etiological agent of rainbow trout fry syndrome and bacterial cold-water disease in salmonid fish, is currently one of the main bacterial pathogens hampering the productivity of salmonid farming worldwide. In this study, the genomic diversity of the F. psychrophilum...

  9. Salmo salar and Esox lucius full-length cDNA sequences reveal changes in evolutionary pressures on a post-tetraploidization genome

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Salmonids are one of the most intensely studied fish, in part due to their economic and environmental importance, and in part due to a recent whole genome duplication in the common ancestor of salmonids. This duplication greatly impacts species diversification, functional specialization, and adaptation. Extensive new genomic resources have recently become available for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), but documentation of allelic versus duplicate reference genes remains a major uncertainty in the complete characterization of its genome and its evolution. Results From existing expressed sequence tag (EST) resources and three new full-length cDNA libraries, 9,057 reference quality full-length gene insert clones were identified for Atlantic salmon. A further 1,365 reference full-length clones were annotated from 29,221 northern pike (Esox lucius) ESTs. Pairwise dN/dS comparisons within each of 408 sets of duplicated salmon genes using northern pike as a diploid out-group show asymmetric relaxation of selection on salmon duplicates. Conclusions 9,057 full-length reference genes were characterized in S. salar and can be used to identify alleles and gene family members. Comparisons of duplicated genes show that while purifying selection is the predominant force acting on both duplicates, consistent with retention of functionality in both copies, some relaxation of pressure on gene duplicates can be identified. In addition, there is evidence that evolution has acted asymmetrically on paralogs, allowing one of the pair to diverge at a faster rate. PMID:20433749

  10. Introduced northern pike predation on salmonids in southcentral Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sepulveda, Adam J.; Rutz, David S.; Ivey, Sam S.; Dunker, Kristine J.; Gross, Jackson A.

    2013-01-01

    Northern pike (Esox lucius) are opportunistic predators that can switch to alternative prey species after preferred prey have declined. This trophic adaptability allows invasive pike to have negative effects on aquatic food webs. In Southcentral Alaska, invasive pike are a substantial concern because they have spread to important spawning and rearing habitat for salmonids and are hypothesised to be responsible for recent salmonid declines. We described the relative importance of salmonids and other prey species to pike diets in the Deshka River and Alexander Creek in Southcentral Alaska. Salmonids were once abundant in both rivers, but they are now rare in Alexander Creek. In the Deshka River, we found that juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and coho salmon (O. kisutch) dominated pike diets and that small pike consumed more of these salmonids than large pike. In Alexander Creek, pike diets reflected the distribution of spawning salmonids, which decrease with distance upstream. Although salmonids dominated pike diets in the lowest reach of the stream, Arctic lamprey (Lampetra camtschatica) and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) dominated pike diets in the middle and upper reaches. In both rivers, pike density did not influence diet and pike consumed smaller prey items than predicted by their gape-width. Our data suggest that (1) juvenile salmonids are a dominant prey item for pike, (2) small pike are the primary consumers of juvenile salmonids and (3) pike consume other native fish species when juvenile salmonids are less abundant. Implications of this trophic adaptability are that invasive pike can continue to increase while driving multiple species to low abundance.

  11. Genomic organization and evolution of the Atlantic salmon hemoglobin repertoire

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background The genomes of salmonids are considered pseudo-tetraploid undergoing reversion to a stable diploid state. Given the genome duplication and extensive biological data available for salmonids, they are excellent model organisms for studying comparative genomics, evolutionary processes, fates of duplicated genes and the genetic and physiological processes associated with complex behavioral phenotypes. The evolution of the tetrapod hemoglobin genes is well studied; however, little is known about the genomic organization and evolution of teleost hemoglobin genes, particularly those of salmonids. The Atlantic salmon serves as a representative salmonid species for genomics studies. Given the well documented role of hemoglobin in adaptation to varied environmental conditions as well as its use as a model protein for evolutionary analyses, an understanding of the genomic structure and organization of the Atlantic salmon α and β hemoglobin genes is of great interest. Results We identified four bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) comprising two hemoglobin gene clusters spanning the entire α and β hemoglobin gene repertoire of the Atlantic salmon genome. Their chromosomal locations were established using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis and linkage mapping, demonstrating that the two clusters are located on separate chromosomes. The BACs were sequenced and assembled into scaffolds, which were annotated for putatively functional and pseudogenized hemoglobin-like genes. This revealed that the tail-to-tail organization and alternating pattern of the α and β hemoglobin genes are well conserved in both clusters, as well as that the Atlantic salmon genome houses substantially more hemoglobin genes, including non-Bohr β globin genes, than the genomes of other teleosts that have been sequenced. Conclusions We suggest that the most parsimonious evolutionary path leading to the present organization of the Atlantic salmon hemoglobin genes involves

  12. Diversity of Flavobacterium psychrophilum and the potential use of its phages for protection against bacterial cold water disease in salmonids.

    PubMed

    Castillo, D; Higuera, G; Villa, M; Middelboe, M; Dalsgaard, I; Madsen, L; Espejo, R T

    2012-03-01

    Flavobacterium psychrophilum causes rainbow trout fry syndrome (RTFS) and cold water disease (CWD) in salmonid aquaculture. We report characterization of F. psychrophilum strains and their bacteriophages isolated in Chilean salmonid aquaculture. Results suggest that under laboratory conditions phages can decrease mortality of salmonids from infection by their F. psychrophilum host strain. Twelve F. psychrophilum isolates were characterized, with DNA restriction patterns showing low diversity between strains despite their being obtained from different salmonid production sites and from different tissues. We isolated 15 bacteriophages able to infect some of the F. psychrophilum isolates and characterized six of them in detail. DNA genome sizes were close to 50 Kbp and corresponded to the Siphoviridae and Podoviridae families. One isolate, 6H, probably contains lipids as an essential virion component, based on its chloroform sensitivity and low buoyant density in CsCl. Each phage isolate rarely infected F. psychrophilum strains other than the strain used for its enrichment and isolation. Some bacteriophages could decrease mortality from intraperitoneal injection of its host strain when added together with the bacteria in a ratio of 10 plaque-forming units per colony-forming unit. While we recognize the artificial laboratory conditions used for these protection assays, this work is the first to demonstrate that phages might be able protect salmonids from RTFS or CWD. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  13. An efficient and reliable DNA-based sex identification method for archaeological Pacific salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) remains.

    PubMed

    Royle, Thomas C A; Sakhrani, Dionne; Speller, Camilla F; Butler, Virginia L; Devlin, Robert H; Cannon, Aubrey; Yang, Dongya Y

    2018-01-01

    Pacific salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) remains are routinely recovered from archaeological sites in northwestern North America but typically lack sexually dimorphic features, precluding the sex identification of these remains through morphological approaches. Consequently, little is known about the deep history of the sex-selective salmonid fishing strategies practiced by some of the region's Indigenous peoples. Here, we present a DNA-based method for the sex identification of archaeological Pacific salmonid remains that integrates two PCR assays that each co-amplify fragments of the sexually dimorphic on the Y chromosome (sdY) gene and an internal positive control (Clock1a or D-loop). The first assay co-amplifies a 95 bp fragment of sdY and a 108 bp fragment of the autosomal Clock1a gene, whereas the second assay co-amplifies the same sdY fragment and a 249 bp fragment of the mitochondrial D-loop region. This method's reliability, sensitivity, and efficiency, were evaluated by applying it to 72 modern Pacific salmonids from five species and 75 archaeological remains from six Pacific salmonids. The sex identities assigned to each of the modern samples were concordant with their known phenotypic sex, highlighting the method's reliability. Applications of the method to dilutions of modern DNA samples indicate it can correctly identify the sex of samples with as little as ~39 pg of total genomic DNA. The successful sex identification of 70 of the 75 (93%) archaeological samples further demonstrates the method's sensitivity. The method's reliance on two co-amplifications that preferentially amplify sdY helps validate the sex identities assigned to samples and reduce erroneous identifications caused by allelic dropout and contamination. Furthermore, by sequencing the D-loop fragment used as a positive control, species-level and sex identifications can be simultaneously assigned to samples. Overall, our results indicate the DNA-based method reported in this study is a

  14. Demonstration of the salmonid humoral response to Renibacterium salmoninarum using a monoclonal antibody against salmonid immunoglobulin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bartholomew, J.L.; Arkoosh , M.R.; Rohovec, J.S.

    1991-01-01

    The specificity of the antibody response of salmonids to Renibacterium salmoninarum antigens was demonstrated by western blotting techniques that utilized a monoclonal antibody against salmonid immunoglobulin. In this study, the specificity of the response in immunized chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytschawas compared with the response in naturally infected chinook salmon and coho salmon O. kisutch, and immunized rabbits. The antibody response in immunized salmon and rabbits and the naturally infected fish was primarily against the 57–58kilodalton protein complex. In addition to recognizing these proteins in the extracellular fraction and whole-cell preparations, antibody from the immunized salmon and rabbits detected four proteins with lower molecular masses. Western blotting techniques allow identification of the specific antigens recognized and are a useful tool for comparing the immunogenicity of different R. salmoninarumpreparations. Immunofluorescent techniques with whole bacteria were less sensitive than western blotting in detecting salmonid anti-R. salmoninarumantibody.

  15. The Atlantic salmon genome provides insights into rediploidization

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The common ancestor of salmonids underwent an autotetraploid whole genome duplication event (Ss4R) approximately eighty million years ago, which provides unique opportunities to study the early evolutionary fate of a duplicated vertebrate genome in different extant lineages. Here, we present a high ...

  16. ContEst16S: an algorithm that identifies contaminated prokaryotic genomes using 16S RNA gene sequences.

    PubMed

    Lee, Imchang; Chalita, Mauricio; Ha, Sung-Min; Na, Seong-In; Yoon, Seok-Hwan; Chun, Jongsik

    2017-06-01

    Thanks to the recent advancement of DNA sequencing technology, the cost and time of prokaryotic genome sequencing have been dramatically decreased. It has repeatedly been reported that genome sequencing using high-throughput next-generation sequencing is prone to contaminations due to its high depth of sequencing coverage. Although a few bioinformatics tools are available to detect potential contaminations, these have inherited limitations as they only use protein-coding genes. Here we introduce a new algorithm, called ContEst16S, to detect potential contaminations using 16S rRNA genes from genome assemblies. We screened 69 745 prokaryotic genomes from the NCBI Assembly Database using ContEst16S and found that 594 were contaminated by bacteria, human and plants. Of the predicted contaminated genomes, 8 % were not predicted by the existing protein-coding gene-based tool, implying that both methods can be complementary in the detection of contaminations. A web-based service of the algorithm is available at www.ezbiocloud.net/tools/contest16s.

  17. A mathematical model of salmonid spawning habitat

    Treesearch

    Robert N. Havis; Carlos V. Alonzo; Keith E Woeste; Russell F. Thurow

    1993-01-01

    A simulation model [Salmonid Spawning Analysis Model (SSAM)I was developed as a management tool to evaluate the relative impacts of stream sediment load and water temperature on salmonid egg survival. The model is usefi.il for estimating acceptable sediment loads to spawning habitat that may result from upland development, such as logging and agriculture. Software in...

  18. MELOGEN: an EST database for melon functional genomics

    PubMed Central

    Gonzalez-Ibeas, Daniel; Blanca, José; Roig, Cristina; González-To, Mireia; Picó, Belén; Truniger, Verónica; Gómez, Pedro; Deleu, Wim; Caño-Delgado, Ana; Arús, Pere; Nuez, Fernando; Garcia-Mas, Jordi; Puigdomènech, Pere; Aranda, Miguel A

    2007-01-01

    Background Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most important fleshy fruits for fresh consumption. Despite this, few genomic resources exist for this species. To facilitate the discovery of genes involved in essential traits, such as fruit development, fruit maturation and disease resistance, and to speed up the process of breeding new and better adapted melon varieties, we have produced a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from eight normalized cDNA libraries from different tissues in different physiological conditions. Results We determined over 30,000 ESTs that were clustered into 16,637 non-redundant sequences or unigenes, comprising 6,023 tentative consensus sequences (contigs) and 10,614 unclustered sequences (singletons). Many potential molecular markers were identified in the melon dataset: 1,052 potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 356 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found. Sixty-nine percent of the melon unigenes showed a significant similarity with proteins in databases. Functional classification of the unigenes was carried out following the Gene Ontology scheme. In total, 9,402 unigenes were mapped to one or more ontology. Remarkably, the distributions of melon and Arabidopsis unigenes followed similar tendencies, suggesting that the melon dataset is representative of the whole melon transcriptome. Bioinformatic analyses primarily focused on potential precursors of melon micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the melon dataset, but many other genes potentially controlling disease resistance and fruit quality traits were also identified. Patterns of transcript accumulation were characterised by Real-Time-qPCR for 20 of these genes. Conclusion The collection of ESTs characterised here represents a substantial increase on the genetic information available for melon. A database (MELOGEN) which contains all EST sequences, contig images and several tools for analysis and data mining has been created. This set of sequences constitutes

  19. Evaluation of genome-enabled selection for bacterial cold water disease resistance using progeny performance data in Rainbow Trout: Insights on genotyping methods and genomic prediction models

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant economic losses in salmonid aquaculture, and traditional family-based breeding programs aimed at improving BCWD resistance have been limited to exploiting only between-family variation. We used genomic selection (GS) models to predict genomic br...

  20. The relationship between productivities of salmonids and forest stands in northern California watersheds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Frazey, S.L.; Wilzbach, M.A.

    2007-01-01

    Productivities of resident salmonids and upland and riporian forests in 22 small watersheds of coastal northern California were estimated and compared to determine whether: 1) upland site productivity predicted riparian site productivity; 2) either upland or riparian site productivity predicted salmonid productivity; and 3) other parameters explained more of the variance in salmonid productivity. Upland and riparian site productivities were estimated using Site Index values for redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and red alder (Alnus rubra), respectively. Salmonid productivity was indexed by back-calculated length at age 1 of the largest individuals sampled and by total biomass. Upland and riparian site indices were correlated, but neither factor contributed to the best approximating models of salmonid productivity. Total salmonid biomass was best described by a positive relationship with drainage area. Length of dominant fish was best described by a positive relationship with percentage of hardwoods within riparian areas, which may result from nutrient and/or litter subsidies provided by red older. The inability of forest productivity to predict salmon productivity may reflect insufficient variation in independent variables, limitations of the indices, and the operation of other factors affecting salmonid production. The lack of an apparent relationship between upland conifer and salmonid productivity suggests that management of land for timber productivity and component streams for salmonid production in these sites will require separate, albeit integrated, management strategies.

  1. Comparative Pan-Genome Analysis of Piscirickettsia salmonis Reveals Genomic Divergences within Genogroups.

    PubMed

    Nourdin-Galindo, Guillermo; Sánchez, Patricio; Molina, Cristian F; Espinoza-Rojas, Daniela A; Oliver, Cristian; Ruiz, Pamela; Vargas-Chacoff, Luis; Cárcamo, Juan G; Figueroa, Jaime E; Mancilla, Marcos; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Yañez, Alejandro J

    2017-01-01

    Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of salmonid rickettsial septicemia, a disease that seriously affects the salmonid industry. Despite efforts to genomically characterize P. salmonis , functional information on the life cycle, pathogenesis mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and control of this fish pathogen remain lacking. To address this knowledge gap, the present study conducted an in silico pan-genome analysis of 19 P. salmonis strains from distinct geographic locations and genogroups. Results revealed an expected open pan-genome of 3,463 genes and a core-genome of 1,732 genes. Two marked genogroups were identified, as confirmed by phylogenetic and phylogenomic relationships to the LF-89 and EM-90 reference strains, as well as by assessments of genomic structures. Different structural configurations were found for the six identified copies of the ribosomal operon in the P. salmonis genome, indicating translocation throughout the genetic material. Chromosomal divergences in genomic localization and quantity of genetic cassettes were also found for the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system. To determine divergences between core-genomes, additional pan-genome descriptions were compiled for the so-termed LF and EM genogroups. Open pan-genomes composed of 2,924 and 2,778 genes and core-genomes composed of 2,170 and 2,228 genes were respectively found for the LF and EM genogroups. The core-genomes were functionally annotated using the Gene Ontology, KEGG, and Virulence Factor databases, revealing the presence of several shared groups of genes related to basic function of intracellular survival and bacterial pathogenesis. Additionally, the specific pan-genomes for the LF and EM genogroups were defined, resulting in the identification of 148 and 273 exclusive proteins, respectively. Notably, specific virulence factors linked to adherence, colonization, invasion factors, and endotoxins were established. The obtained data suggest that these genes could be

  2. Comparative Pan-Genome Analysis of Piscirickettsia salmonis Reveals Genomic Divergences within Genogroups

    PubMed Central

    Nourdin-Galindo, Guillermo; Sánchez, Patricio; Molina, Cristian F.; Espinoza-Rojas, Daniela A.; Oliver, Cristian; Ruiz, Pamela; Vargas-Chacoff, Luis; Cárcamo, Juan G.; Figueroa, Jaime E.; Mancilla, Marcos; Maracaja-Coutinho, Vinicius; Yañez, Alejandro J.

    2017-01-01

    Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of salmonid rickettsial septicemia, a disease that seriously affects the salmonid industry. Despite efforts to genomically characterize P. salmonis, functional information on the life cycle, pathogenesis mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and control of this fish pathogen remain lacking. To address this knowledge gap, the present study conducted an in silico pan-genome analysis of 19 P. salmonis strains from distinct geographic locations and genogroups. Results revealed an expected open pan-genome of 3,463 genes and a core-genome of 1,732 genes. Two marked genogroups were identified, as confirmed by phylogenetic and phylogenomic relationships to the LF-89 and EM-90 reference strains, as well as by assessments of genomic structures. Different structural configurations were found for the six identified copies of the ribosomal operon in the P. salmonis genome, indicating translocation throughout the genetic material. Chromosomal divergences in genomic localization and quantity of genetic cassettes were also found for the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system. To determine divergences between core-genomes, additional pan-genome descriptions were compiled for the so-termed LF and EM genogroups. Open pan-genomes composed of 2,924 and 2,778 genes and core-genomes composed of 2,170 and 2,228 genes were respectively found for the LF and EM genogroups. The core-genomes were functionally annotated using the Gene Ontology, KEGG, and Virulence Factor databases, revealing the presence of several shared groups of genes related to basic function of intracellular survival and bacterial pathogenesis. Additionally, the specific pan-genomes for the LF and EM genogroups were defined, resulting in the identification of 148 and 273 exclusive proteins, respectively. Notably, specific virulence factors linked to adherence, colonization, invasion factors, and endotoxins were established. The obtained data suggest that these genes could be

  3. SINE sequences detect DNA fingerprints in salmonid fishes.

    PubMed

    Spruell, P; Thorgaard, G H

    1996-04-01

    DNA probes homologous to two previously described salmonid short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) detected DNA fingerprint patterns in 14 species of salmonid fishes. The probes showed more homology to some species than to others and little homology to three nonsalmonid fishes. The DNA fingerprint patterns derived from the SINE probes are individual-specific and inherited in a Mendelian manner. Probes derived from different regions of the same SINE detect only partially overlapping banding patterns, reflecting a more complex SINE structure than has been previously reported. Like the human Alu sequence, the SINEs found in salmonids could provide useful genetic markers and primer sites for PCR-based techniques. These elements may be more desirable for some applications than traditional DNA fingerprinting probes that detect tandemly repeated arrays.

  4. Physiological levels of testosterone kill salmonid leukocytes in vitro

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Slater, C.H.; Schreck, C.B.

    1997-01-01

    Adult spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) elaborate high plasma concentrations of testosterone during sexual maturation, and these levels of testosterone have been shown to reduce the salmonid immune response in vitro. Our search for the mechanism of testosterone's immunosuppressive action has led to the characterization of an androgen receptor in salmonid leukocytes. In the present study we examined the specific effects that testosterone had on salmonid leukocytes. Direct counts of viable leukocytes after incubation with and without physiological levels of testosterone demonstrate a significant loss of leukocytes in cultures exposed to testosterone. At least 5 days of contact with testosterone was required to produce significant immunosuppression and addition of a 'conditioned media' (supernatant from proliferating lymphocytes not exposed to testosterone) did not reverse the immunosuppressive effects of testosterone. These data lead us to conclude that testosterone may exert its immunosuppressive effects by direct action on salmonid leukocytes, through the androgen receptor described, and that this action leads to the death of a significant number of these leukocytes.

  5. Salmon lice – impact on wild salmonids and salmon aquaculture

    PubMed Central

    Torrissen, O; Jones, S; Asche, F; Guttormsen, A; Skilbrei, O T; Nilsen, F; Horsberg, T E; Jackson, D

    2013-01-01

    Salmon lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, are naturally occurring parasites of salmon in sea water. Intensive salmon farming provides better conditions for parasite growth and transmission compared with natural conditions, creating problems for both the salmon farming industry and, under certain conditions, wild salmonids. Salmon lice originating from farms negatively impact wild stocks of salmonids, although the extent of the impact is a matter of debate. Estimates from Ireland and Norway indicate an odds ratio of 1.1:1-1.2:1 for sea lice treated Atlantic salmon smolt to survive sea migration compared to untreated smolts. This is considered to have a moderate population regulatory effect. The development of resistance against drugs most commonly used to treat salmon lice is a serious concern for both wild and farmed fish. Several large initiatives have been taken to encourage the development of new strategies, such as vaccines and novel drugs, for the treatment or removal of salmon lice from farmed fish. The newly sequenced salmon louse genome will be an important tool in this work. The use of cleaner fish has emerged as a robust method for controlling salmon lice, and aquaculture production of wrasse is important towards this aim. Salmon lice have large economic consequences for the salmon industry, both as direct costs for the prevention and treatment, but also indirectly through negative public opinion. PMID:23311858

  6. Density, aggregation, and body size of northern pikeminnow preying on juvenile salmonids in a large river

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Petersen, J.H.

    2001-01-01

    Predation by northern pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis on juvenile salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. occurred probably during brief feeding bouts since diets were either dominated by salmonids (>80% by weight), or contained other prey types and few salmonids (<5%). In samples where salmonids had been consumed, large rather than small predators were more likely to have captured salmonids. Transects with higher catch-per-unit of effort of predators also had higher incidences of salmonids in predator guts. Predators in two of three reservoir areas were distributed more contagiously if they had preyed recently on salmonids. Spatial and temporal patchiness of salmonid prey may be generating differences in local density, aggregation, and body size of their predators in this large river.

  7. Evolutionary consequences of habitat loss for Pacific anadromous salmonids

    PubMed Central

    McClure, Michelle M; Carlson, Stephanie M; Beechie, Timothy J; Pess, George R; Jorgensen, Jeffrey C; Sogard, Susan M; Sultan, Sonia E; Holzer, Damon M; Travis, Joseph; Sanderson, Beth L; Power, Mary E; Carmichael, Richard W

    2008-01-01

    Large portions of anadromous salmonid habitat in the western United States has been lost because of dams and other blockages. This loss has the potential to affect salmonid evolution through natural selection if the loss is biased, affecting certain types of habitat differentially, and if phenotypic traits correlated with those habitat types are heritable. Habitat loss can also affect salmonid evolution indirectly, by reducing genetic variation and changing its distribution within and among populations. In this paper, we compare the characteristics of lost habitats with currently accessible habitats and review the heritability of traits which show correlations with habitat/environmental gradients. We find that although there is some regional variation, inaccessible habitats tend to be higher in elevation, wetter and both warmer in the summer and colder in the winter than habitats currently available to anadromous salmonids. We present several case studies that demonstrate either a change in phenotypic or life history expression or an apparent reduction in genetic variation associated with habitat blockages. These results suggest that loss of habitat will alter evolutionary trajectories in salmonid populations and Evolutionarily Significant Units. Changes in both selective regime and standing genetic diversity might affect the ability of these taxa to respond to subsequent environmental perturbations. Both natural and anthropogenic and should be considered seriously in developing management and conservation strategies. PMID:25567633

  8. Accuracy of genomic selection for BCWD resistance in rainbow trout

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant economic losses in salmonids. In this study, we aimed to (1) predict genomic breeding values (GEBV) by genotyping training (n=583) and validation samples (n=53) with a SNP50K chip; and (2) assess the accuracy of genomic selection (GS) for BCWD r...

  9. Population viability assessment of salmonids by using probabilistic networks

    Treesearch

    Danny C. Lee; Bruce E. Rieman

    1997-01-01

    Public agencies are being asked to quantitatively assess the impact of land management activities on sensitive populations of salmonids. To aid in these assessments, we developed a Bayesian viability assessment procedure (BayVAM) to help characterize land use risks to salmonids in the Pacific Northwest. This procedure incorporates a hybrid approach to viability...

  10. Annotated ESTs from various tissues of the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens: a genomic resource for studying agricultural pests.

    PubMed

    Noda, Hiroaki; Kawai, Sawako; Koizumi, Yoko; Matsui, Kageaki; Zhang, Qiang; Furukawa, Shigetoyo; Shimomura, Michihiko; Mita, Kazuei

    2008-03-03

    The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera, Delphacidae), is a serious insect pests of rice plants. Major means of BPH control are application of agricultural chemicals and cultivation of BPH resistant rice varieties. Nevertheless, BPH strains that are resistant to agricultural chemicals have developed, and BPH strains have appeared that are virulent against the resistant rice varieties. Expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis and related applications are useful to elucidate the mechanisms of resistance and virulence and to reveal physiological aspects of this non-model insect, with its poorly understood genetic background. More than 37,000 high-quality ESTs, excluding sequences of mitochondrial genome, microbial genomes, and rDNA, have been produced from 18 libraries of various BPH tissues and stages. About 10,200 clusters have been made from whole EST sequences, with average EST size of 627 bp. Among the top ten most abundantly expressed genes, three are unique and show no homology in BLAST searches. The actin gene was highly expressed in BPH, especially in the thorax. Tissue-specifically expressed genes were extracted based on the expression frequency among the libraries. An EST database is available at our web site. The EST library will provide useful information for transcriptional analyses, proteomic analyses, and gene functional analyses of BPH. Moreover, specific genes for hemimetabolous insects will be identified. The microarray fabricated based on the EST information will be useful for finding genes related to agricultural and biological problems related to this pest.

  11. Annotated ESTs from various tissues of the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens: A genomic resource for studying agricultural pests

    PubMed Central

    Noda, Hiroaki; Kawai, Sawako; Koizumi, Yoko; Matsui, Kageaki; Zhang, Qiang; Furukawa, Shigetoyo; Shimomura, Michihiko; Mita, Kazuei

    2008-01-01

    Background The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera, Delphacidae), is a serious insect pests of rice plants. Major means of BPH control are application of agricultural chemicals and cultivation of BPH resistant rice varieties. Nevertheless, BPH strains that are resistant to agricultural chemicals have developed, and BPH strains have appeared that are virulent against the resistant rice varieties. Expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis and related applications are useful to elucidate the mechanisms of resistance and virulence and to reveal physiological aspects of this non-model insect, with its poorly understood genetic background. Results More than 37,000 high-quality ESTs, excluding sequences of mitochondrial genome, microbial genomes, and rDNA, have been produced from 18 libraries of various BPH tissues and stages. About 10,200 clusters have been made from whole EST sequences, with average EST size of 627 bp. Among the top ten most abundantly expressed genes, three are unique and show no homology in BLAST searches. The actin gene was highly expressed in BPH, especially in the thorax. Tissue-specifically expressed genes were extracted based on the expression frequency among the libraries. An EST database is available at our web site. Conclusion The EST library will provide useful information for transcriptional analyses, proteomic analyses, and gene functional analyses of BPH. Moreover, specific genes for hemimetabolous insects will be identified. The microarray fabricated based on the EST information will be useful for finding genes related to agricultural and biological problems related to this pest. PMID:18315884

  12. Lineage-specific rediploidization is a mechanism to explain time-lags between genome duplication and evolutionary diversification.

    PubMed

    Robertson, Fiona M; Gundappa, Manu Kumar; Grammes, Fabian; Hvidsten, Torgeir R; Redmond, Anthony K; Lien, Sigbjørn; Martin, Samuel A M; Holland, Peter W H; Sandve, Simen R; Macqueen, Daniel J

    2017-06-14

    The functional divergence of duplicate genes (ohnologues) retained from whole genome duplication (WGD) is thought to promote evolutionary diversification. However, species radiation and phenotypic diversification are often temporally separated from WGD. Salmonid fish, whose ancestor underwent WGD by autotetraploidization ~95 million years ago, fit such a 'time-lag' model of post-WGD radiation, which occurred alongside a major delay in the rediploidization process. Here we propose a model, 'lineage-specific ohnologue resolution' (LORe), to address the consequences of delayed rediploidization. Under LORe, speciation precedes rediploidization, allowing independent ohnologue divergence in sister lineages sharing an ancestral WGD event. Using cross-species sequence capture, phylogenomics and genome-wide analyses of ohnologue expression divergence, we demonstrate the major impact of LORe on salmonid evolution. One-quarter of each salmonid genome, harbouring at least 4550 ohnologues, has evolved under LORe, with rediploidization and functional divergence occurring on multiple independent occasions >50 million years post-WGD. We demonstrate the existence and regulatory divergence of many LORe ohnologues with functions in lineage-specific physiological adaptations that potentially facilitated salmonid species radiation. We show that LORe ohnologues are enriched for different functions than 'older' ohnologues that began diverging in the salmonid ancestor. LORe has unappreciated significance as a nested component of post-WGD divergence that impacts the functional properties of genes, whilst providing ohnologues available solely for lineage-specific adaptation. Under LORe, which is predicted following many WGD events, the functional outcomes of WGD need not appear 'explosively', but can arise gradually over tens of millions of years, promoting lineage-specific diversification regimes under prevailing ecological pressures.

  13. A global assembly of cotton ESTs

    PubMed Central

    Udall, Joshua A.; Swanson, Jordan M.; Haller, Karl; Rapp, Ryan A.; Sparks, Michael E.; Hatfield, Jamie; Yu, Yeisoo; Wu, Yingru; Dowd, Caitriona; Arpat, Aladdin B.; Sickler, Brad A.; Wilkins, Thea A.; Guo, Jin Ying; Chen, Xiao Ya; Scheffler, Jodi; Taliercio, Earl; Turley, Ricky; McFadden, Helen; Payton, Paxton; Klueva, Natalya; Allen, Randell; Zhang, Deshui; Haigler, Candace; Wilkerson, Curtis; Suo, Jinfeng; Schulze, Stefan R.; Pierce, Margaret L.; Essenberg, Margaret; Kim, HyeRan; Llewellyn, Danny J.; Dennis, Elizabeth S.; Kudrna, David; Wing, Rod; Paterson, Andrew H.; Soderlund, Cari; Wendel, Jonathan F.

    2006-01-01

    Approximately 185,000 Gossypium EST sequences comprising >94,800,000 nucleotides were amassed from 30 cDNA libraries constructed from a variety of tissues and organs under a range of conditions, including drought stress and pathogen challenges. These libraries were derived from allopolyploid cotton (Gossypium hirsutum; AT and DT genomes) as well as its two diploid progenitors, Gossypium arboreum (A genome) and Gossypium raimondii (D genome). ESTs were assembled using the Program for Assembling and Viewing ESTs (PAVE), resulting in 22,030 contigs and 29,077 singletons (51,107 unigenes). Further comparisons among the singletons and contigs led to recognition of 33,665 exemplar sequences that represent a nonredundant set of putative Gossypium genes containing partial or full-length coding regions and usually one or two UTRs. The assembly, along with their UniProt BLASTX hits, GO annotation, and Pfam analysis results, are freely accessible as a public resource for cotton genomics. Because ESTs from diploid and allotetraploid Gossypium were combined in a single assembly, we were in many cases able to bioinformatically distinguish duplicated genes in allotetraploid cotton and assign them to either the A or D genome. The assembly and associated information provide a framework for future investigation of cotton functional and evolutionary genomics. PMID:16478941

  14. SCARF: maximizing next-generation EST assemblies for evolutionary and population genomic analyses.

    PubMed

    Barker, Michael S; Dlugosch, Katrina M; Reddy, A Chaitanya C; Amyotte, Sarah N; Rieseberg, Loren H

    2009-02-15

    Scaffolded and Corrected Assembly of Roche 454 (SCARF) is a next-generation sequence assembly tool for evolutionary genomics that is designed especially for assembling 454 EST sequences against high-quality reference sequences from related species. The program was created to knit together 454 contigs that do not assemble during traditional de novo assembly, using a reference sequence library to orient the 454 sequences. SCARF is freely available at http://msbarker.com/software.htm, and is released under the open source GPLv3 license (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html.

  15. Linking Forests and Fish: The Relationship Between Productivities of Salmonids and Forest Stands in Northern California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilzbach, P.; Frazey, S.

    2005-05-01

    Productivities of resident salmonid populations, upland, and riparian areas in 25 small watersheds of coastal northern California were estimated and compared to determine if: 1) upland site productivity predicted riparian site productivity; 2) either upland or riparian site productivity predicted salmonid productivity; and 3) other parameters explained more of the variance in salmonid productivity than upland or riparian site productivity. Salmonid productivity was indexed by total salmonid biomass, length of age 1 fish, and percent habitat saturation. Upland and riparian site productivities were estimated using site indices for redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and red alder (Alnus rubra), respectively. Upland and riparian site indices were correlated, but neither factor contributed to the best approximating models of salmonid biomass or fish length at age one. Salmonid biomass was best described by a positive relationship with drainage area, and length at age was best described by a positive relationship with percent of riparian hardwoods. Percent habitat saturation was not well described by any of the models constructed. Lack of a relationship between upland conifer and salmonid productivity suggests that management of land for timber productivity and component streams for salmonid production in these sites will require separate, albeit integrated, strategies.

  16. ESTs and EST-linked polymorphisms for genetic mapping and phylogenetic reconstruction in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata

    PubMed Central

    Dreyer, Christine; Hoffmann, Margarete; Lanz, Christa; Willing, Eva-Maria; Riester, Markus; Warthmann, Norman; Sprecher, Andrea; Tripathi, Namita; Henz, Stefan R; Weigel, Detlef

    2007-01-01

    Background The guppy, Poecilia reticulata, is a well-known model organism for studying inheritance and variation of male ornamental traits as well as adaptation to different river habitats. However, genomic resources for studying this important model were not previously widely available. Results With the aim of generating molecular markers for genetic mapping of the guppy, cDNA libraries were constructed from embryos and different adult organs to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs). About 18,000 ESTs were annotated according to BLASTN and BLASTX results and the sequence information from the 3' UTRs was exploited to generate PCR primers for re-sequencing of genomic DNA from different wild type strains. By comparison of EST-linked genomic sequences from at least four different ecotypes, about 1,700 polymorphisms were identified, representing about 400 distinct genes. Two interconnected MySQL databases were built to organize the ESTs and markers, respectively. A robust phylogeny of the guppy was reconstructed, based on 10 different nuclear genes. Conclusion Our EST and marker databases provide useful tools for genetic mapping and phylogenetic studies of the guppy. PMID:17686157

  17. Sustaining salmonid populations: A caring understanding of naturalness of taxa

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nielsen, Jennifer L.; Regier, Henry A.; Knudsen, E. Eric

    2004-01-01

    Species of the family of Salmonidae occur naturally in Northern Hemisphere waters that remain clear and cool to cold in summer. For purposes of reproduction, salmonids generally behaviorally respond to the currents of streams and lakes in recently glaciated areas. For feeding and maturation, many larger species migrate into existing systems of large lakes, seas, and oceans. The subfamilies include Salmoninae, Coregoninae, and Thymallinae. In many locales and regions of the hemisphere, numerous species of these subfamilies evolved and self-organized into species flocks or taxocenes of bewildering complexity. For example, any individual species may play different or unique ecological roles in different taxocenes. The northern Pacific and Atlantic Ocean ecosystems, with their seas and tributaries, each contained a metacomplex of such taxocenes that, in their natural state some centuries ago, resembled each other but differed in many ways. Humans have valued all species of this family for subsistence, ceremonial, naturalist, gustatory, angling, and commercial reasons for centuries. Modern progressive humans (MPHs), whose industrial and commercial enterprises have gradually spread over this hemisphere in recent time, now affect aquatic ecosystems at all scales from local to global. These human effects mingle in complex ways that together induce uniquely natural salmonid taxocenes to disintegrate with the loss of species, including those groups least tolerant to human manipulations, but extending more recently to those taxa more adapted to anthropogenic change. As we leave the modern era, dominated by MPHs, will we find ways to live sustainably with salmonid taxocenes that still exhibit self-organizational integrity, or will only individual, isolated populations of salmonid species, derived from those most tolerant of MPHs, survive? To achieve future sustainability of salmonids, we suggest implementation of a search for intuitive knowledge based on faith in the wisdom of

  18. Review of the negative influences of non-native salmonids on native fish species

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Turek, Kelly C.; Pegg, Mark A.; Pope, Kevin L.

    2013-01-01

    Non-native salmonids are often introduced into areas containing species of concern, yet a comprehensive overview of the short- and long-term consequences of these introductions is lacking in the Great Plains. Several authors have suggested that non-native salmonids negatively inflfluence species of concern. The objective of this paper is to review known interactions between non-native salmonids and native fifishes, with a focus on native species of concern. After an extensive search of the literature, it appears that in many cases non-native salmonids do negatively inflfl uence species of concern (e.g., reduce abundance and alter behavior) via different mechanisms (e.g., predation and competition). However, there are some instances in which introduced salmonids have had no perceived negative inflfl uence on native fifi shes. Unfortunately, the majority of the literature is circumstantial, and there is a need to experimentally manipulate these interactions.

  19. Genetic Diversity in Lens Species Revealed by EST and Genomic Simple Sequence Repeat Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Dikshit, Harsh Kumar; Singh, Akanksha; Singh, Dharmendra; Aski, Muraleedhar Sidaram; Prakash, Prapti; Jain, Neelu; Meena, Suresh; Kumar, Shiv; Sarker, Ashutosh

    2015-01-01

    Low productivity of pilosae type lentils grown in South Asia is attributed to narrow genetic base of the released cultivars which results in susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses. For enhancement of productivity and production, broadening of genetic base is essentially required. The genetic base of released cultivars can be broadened by using diverse types including bold seeded and early maturing lentils from Mediterranean region and related wild species. Genetic diversity in eighty six accessions of three species of genus Lens was assessed based on twelve genomic and thirty one EST-SSR markers. The evaluated set of genotypes included diverse lentil varieties and advanced breeding lines from Indian programme, two early maturing ICARDA lines and five related wild subspecies/species endemic to the Mediterranean region. Genomic SSRs exhibited higher polymorphism in comparison to EST SSRs. GLLC 598 produced 5 alleles with highest gene diversity value of 0.80. Among the studied subspecies/species 43 SSRs detected maximum number of alleles in L. orientalis. Based on Nei’s genetic distance cultivated lentil L. culinaris subsp. culinaris was found to be close to its wild progenitor L. culinaris subsp. orientalis. The Prichard’s structure of 86 genotypes distinguished different subspecies/species. Higher variability was recorded among individuals within population than among populations. PMID:26381889

  20. PineElm_SSRdb: a microsatellite marker database identified from genomic, chloroplast, mitochondrial and EST sequences of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill).

    PubMed

    Chaudhary, Sakshi; Mishra, Bharat Kumar; Vivek, Thiruvettai; Magadum, Santoshkumar; Yasin, Jeshima Khan

    2016-01-01

    Simple Sequence Repeats or microsatellites are resourceful molecular genetic markers. There are only few reports of SSR identification and development in pineapple. Complete genome sequence of pineapple available in the public domain can be used to develop numerous novel SSRs. Therefore, an attempt was made to identify SSRs from genomic, chloroplast, mitochondrial and EST sequences of pineapple which will help in deciphering genetic makeup of its germplasm resources. A total of 359511 SSRs were identified in pineapple (356385 from genome sequence, 45 from chloroplast sequence, 249 in mitochondrial sequence and 2832 from EST sequences). The list of EST-SSR markers and their details are available in the database. PineElm_SSRdb is an open source database available for non-commercial academic purpose at http://app.bioelm.com/ with a mapping tool which can develop circular maps of selected marker set. This database will be of immense use to breeders, researchers and graduates working on Ananas spp. and to others working on cross-species transferability of markers, investigating diversity, mapping and DNA fingerprinting.

  1. Salmonid whirling disease

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Markiw, M.E.

    1992-01-01

    This paper provides the latest scientific and technical advances in the management of salmonid whirling disease caused by the myxosporean Myxobolus cerebralis (Syn. Myxosoma cerebralis). The complete life cycle of the parasite and the biology of the infective agent to fish, the actinosporean Triactinomyxon stage, are reviewed, and suggested procedures for detection, identification, and control of the disease are discussed. The paper offers sources of information and related reference materials of interest to fish culturists, fishery biologists, and students.

  2. Modeling Food Delivery Dynamics For Juvenile Salmonids Under Variable Flow Regimes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harrison, L.; Utz, R.; Anderson, K.; Nisbet, R.

    2010-12-01

    Traditional approaches for assessing instream flow needs for salmonids have typically focused on the importance of physical habitat in determining fish habitat selection. This somewhat simplistic approach does not account for differences in food delivery rates to salmonids that arise due to spatial variability in river morphology, hydraulics and temporal variations in the flow regime. Explicitly linking how changes in the flow regime influences food delivery dynamics is an important step in advancing process-based bioenergetic models that seek to predict growth rates of salmonids across various life-stages. Here we investigate how food delivery rates for juvenile salmonids vary both spatially and with flow magnitude in a meandering reach of the Merced River, CA. We utilize a two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic model and discrete particle tracking algorithm to simulate invertebrate drift transport rates at baseflow and a near-bankfull discharge. Modeling results indicate that at baseflow, the maximum drift density occurs in the channel thalweg, while drift densities decrease towards the channel margins due to the process of organisms settling out of the drift. During high-flow events, typical of spring dam-releases, the invertebrate drift transport pathway follows a similar trajectory along the high velocity core and the drift concentrations are greatest in the channel centerline, though the zone of invertebrate transport occupies a greater fraction of the channel width. Based on invertebrate supply rates alone, feeding juvenile salmonids would be expected to be distributed down the channel centerline where the maximum predicted food delivery rates are located in this reach. However, flow velocities in these channel sections are beyond maximum sustainable swimming speeds for most juvenile salmonids. Our preliminary findings suggest that a lack of low velocity refuge may prevent juvenile salmonids from deriving energy from the areas with maximum drift density in this

  3. Influence of intermittent stream connectivity on water quality and salmonid survivorship.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hildebrand, J.; Woelfle-Erskine, C. A.; Larsen, L.

    2014-12-01

    Anthropogenic stress and climate change are causing an increasing number of California streams to become intermittent and are driving earlier and more severe summertime drying. The extent to which emerging water conservation alternatives impact flows or habitat quality (e.g. temperature, DO) for salmonids remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the proximal drivers of salmonid mortality over a range of connectivity conditions during summertime intermittency in Salmon Creek watershed, Sonoma County, CA. Through extensive sampling in paired subwatersheds over a period of two years, we tested the hypothesis that accumulation of readily bioavailable DOC in poorly flushed pools drives DO decline associated with loss of salmonids. We then traced the origin and flow pathways of DOC throughout the watershed using Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC). We obtained samples for DOC and stable isotope analyses at monthly intervals from 20 piezometers and surface water in the study reaches and from private wells and springs distributed throughout the watersheds. We also obtained in situ DO, conductivity and pH readings within stream study reaches. We determined DOC quality by SUVA (specific UV absorbance) and fluorescence index. We calculated stream metabolism rates using the single station method. In pools instrumented with DO sensors, we compared changing DOC quality during the summer months to changes in DO concentrations and stream metabolism. Our results show that the duration of complete disconnection of pools during the summer months and stream metabolic rates are positively correlated with salmonid mortality. Furthermore, our results indicate that salmonid mortality is greatest in disconnected pools with low DOC fluorescence indices and high SUVA values, indicative of terrestrially derived DOC and little or no groundwater inflow. Conversely low salmonid mortality was found in disconnected pools with high fluorescence index and low SUVA, indicative of microbially

  4. Feeding of predaceous fishes on out-migrating juvenile-salmonids in John Day Reservoir, Columbia River

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Poe, Thomas P.; Hansel, Hal C.; Vigg, S.; Palmer, D.E.; Prendergast, L.A.

    1991-01-01

    Diets of northern squawfish Ptychocheilus oregonensis, smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, walleye Stizostedion vitreum, and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus from John Day Reservoir were examined to determine the extent of predation on juvenile salmonids during seaward migrations of the salmonids during April–August 1983–1986. Juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead O. mykiss were the most important food group (by weight) of northern squawfish – about 67% – but made up smaller proportions of the food of the other predators: channel catfish, 33%; walleyes, 14%; smallmouth bass, 4%. Seasonal changes in diets indicated that northern squawfish preferred juvenile salmonids in May and August (generally the peak period of salmonid out-migration), and switched to prickly sculpin Cottus asper when numbers of juvenile salmonids declined; walleyes and smallmouth bass showed a preference only for prickly sculpin among the prey fishes analyzed. As judged by dietary composition and prey selectivity, the northern squawfish was the major fish predator on juvenile salmonids in the reservoir; channel catfish also were important predators in the upper reservoir in spring. Walleyes and smallmouth bass were much less important predators on salmonids, and appeared to select subyearling chinook salmon only in August when the distribution of this prey overlapped with that of the predators. Size-selective predation by northern squawfish may also play an important role in reducing survival of the smaller individuals within each run of out-migrating juvenile salmonids.

  5. A new method to identify the fluvial regimes used by spawning salmonids

    Treesearch

    Hamish J. Moir; Christopher N. Gibbins; John M. Buffington; John H. Webb; Chris Soulsby; Mark J. Brewer

    2009-01-01

    Basin physiography and fluvial processes structure the availability of salmonid spawning habitat in river networks. However, methods that allow us to explicitly link hydrologic and geomorphic processes to spatial patterns of spawning at scales relevant to management are limited. Here we present a method that can be used to link the abundance of spawning salmonids to...

  6. Osmoregulatory actions of the GH/IGF axis in non-salmonid teleosts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mancera, J.M.; McCormick, S.D.

    1998-01-01

    Salmonid fishes provided the first findings on the influence of the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis on osmoregulation in teleost fishes. Recent studies on non-salmonid species, however, indicate that this physiological action of the GH/IGF-I axis is not restricted to salmonids or anadromous fishes. GH-producing cells in the pituitary of fish acclimated to different salinities show different degrees of activation depending on the species studied. Plasma GH levels either increase or do not change after transfer of fish from freshwater to seawater. Treatment with GH or IGF-I increases salinity tolerance and/or increases gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity of killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromisniloticus) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis). As in salmonids, a positive interaction between GH and cortisol for improving hypoosmoregulatory capacity has been described in tilapia (O. mossambicus). Research on the osmoregulatory role of the GH/IGF-I axis is derived from a small number of teleost species. The study of more species with different osmoregulary patterns will be necessary to fully clarify the osmoregulatory role of GH/IGF-I axis in fish. The available data does suggest, however, that the influence of the GH/IGF-I axis on osmoregulation may be a common feature of euryhalinity in teleosts.

  7. Ecosystem-based management of predator-prey relationships: piscivorous birds and salmonids.

    PubMed

    Wiese, Francis K; Parrish, Julia K; Thompson, Christopher W; Maranto, Christina

    2008-04-01

    Predator-prey relationships are often altered as a result of human activities. Where prey are legally protected, conservation action may include lethal predator control. In the Columbia River basin (Pacific Northwest, USA and Canada), piscivorous predators have been implicated in contributing to a lack of recovery of several endangered anadromous salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), and lethal and nonlethal control programs have been instituted against both piscine and avian species. To determine the consequences of avian predation, we used a bioenergetics approach to estimate the consumption of salmonid smolts by waterbirds (Common Merganser, California and Ring-billed Gull, Caspian Tern, Double-crested Cormorant) found in the mid-Columbia River from April through August, 2002-2004. We used our model to explore several predator-prey scenarios, including the impact of historical bird abundance, and the effect of preserving vs. removing birds, on smolt abundance. Each year, <1% of the estimated available salmonid smolts (interannual range: 44,830-109,209; 95% CI = 38,000-137,000) were consumed, 85-98% away from dams. Current diet data combined with historical gull abundance at dams suggests that past smolt consumption may have been 1.5-3 times current numbers, depending on the assumed distribution of gulls along the reaches. After the majority (80%) of salmonid smolts have left the study area, birds switch their diet to predominantly juvenile northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis), which as adults are significant native salmonid predators in the Columbia River. Our models suggest that one consequence of removing birds from the system may be increased pikeminnow abundance, which--even assuming 80% compensatory mortality in juvenile pikeminnow survival--would theoretically result in an annual average savings of just over 180,000 smolts, calculated over a decade. Practically, this suggests that smolt survival could be maximized by deterring birds from the river when

  8. An Expressed Sequence Tag (EST)-enriched genetic map of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus): a useful framework for comparative genomics across model and farmed teleosts

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) is a relevant species in European aquaculture. The small turbot genome provides a source for genomics strategies to use in order to understand the genetic basis of productive traits, particularly those related to sex, growth and pathogen resistance. Genetic maps represent essential genomic screening tools allowing to localize quantitative trait loci (QTL) and to identify candidate genes through comparative mapping. This information is the backbone to develop marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs in aquaculture. Expressed sequenced tag (EST) resources have largely increased in turbot, thus supplying numerous type I markers suitable for extending the previous linkage map, which was mostly based on anonymous loci. The aim of this study was to construct a higher-resolution turbot genetic map using EST-linked markers, which will turn out to be useful for comparative mapping studies. Results A consensus gene-enriched genetic map of the turbot was constructed using 463 SNP and microsatellite markers in nine reference families. This map contains 438 markers, 180 EST-linked, clustered at 24 linkage groups. Linkage and comparative genomics evidences suggested additional linkage group fusions toward the consolidation of turbot map according to karyotype information. The linkage map showed a total length of 1402.7 cM with low average intermarker distance (3.7 cM; ~2 Mb). A global 1.6:1 female-to-male recombination frequency (RF) ratio was observed, although largely variable among linkage groups and chromosome regions. Comparative sequence analysis revealed large macrosyntenic patterns against model teleost genomes, significant hits decreasing from stickleback (54%) to zebrafish (20%). Comparative mapping supported particular chromosome rearrangements within Acanthopterygii and aided to assign unallocated markers to specific turbot linkage groups. Conclusions The new gene-enriched high-resolution turbot map represents a

  9. Feeding modes in stream salmonid population models: Is drift feeding the whole story?

    Treesearch

    Bret Harvey; Steve Railsback

    2014-01-01

    Drift-feeding models are essential components of broader models that link stream habitat to salmonid populations and community dynamics. But is an additional feeding mode needed for understanding and predicting salmonid population responses to streamflow and other environmental factors? We addressed this question by applying two versions of the individual-based model...

  10. Use of benthic prey by salmonids under turbid conditions in a laboratory stream

    Treesearch

    Bret C. Harvey; Jason L. White

    2008-01-01

    The negative effect of turbidity on the reactive distance of salmonids has been well established. However, determining the consequences of this relationship for overall feeding success remains problematic, as successful foraging by salmonids across a broad range in turbidity has been observed under a variety of conditions. Previous laboratory and field observations...

  11. Predation of juvenile salmonids by smallmouth bass and northern squawfish in the Columbia River near Richland, Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tabor, Roger A.; Shively, Rip S.; Poe, Thomas P.

    1993-01-01

    The importance of juvenile salmonids in the diet of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu and northern squawfish Ptychocheilus oregonensis was examined at a 6-km stretch of the Columbia River. Piscivorous fish were sampled with electrofishing gear on 4 d (May 2–3 and June 20–21, 1990) during emigration of juvenile anadromous salmonids. Sixty-two smallmouth bass and 69 northern squawfish were collected for diet analysis. Juvenile salmonids made up 59% of smallmouth bass diet by weight and were present in 65% of the stomachs of smallmouth bass. By a meal turnover method, smallmouth bass were estimated to consume from 1.4 (May 2–3) to 1.0 (June 20–21) salmonids per predator daily. Crayfish were the dominant prey item (41.4% by weight) of northern squawfish, but juvenile salmonids (28.8%) were also important. Northern squawfish consumed from 0.55 (May 2–3) to 0.34 (June 20–21) salmonids per predator daily. Smallmouth bass and northern squawfish consumed mostly subyearling Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, which may have been wild Chinook salmon that emigrated downstream from the Hanford reach. Predation rates on salmonids by smallmouth bass are apparently high during spring and early summer because subyearling Chinook salmon are abundant and of suitable forage size and their habitat overlaps with that of smallmouth bass.

  12. Osmoregulatory actions of the GH/IGF axis in non-salmonid teleosts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mancera, J.M.; McCormick, S.D.

    1998-01-01

    Salmonid fishes provided the first findings on the influence of the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis on osmoregulation in teleost fishes. Recent studies on non-salmonid species, however, indicate that this physiological action of the GH/IGF-I axis is not restricted to salmonids or anadromous fishes. GH-producing cells in the pituitary of fish acclimated to different salinities show different degrees of activation depending on the species studied. Plasma GH levels either increase or do not change after transfer of fish from freshwater to seawater. Treatment with GH or IGF-I increases salinity tolerance and/or increases gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity of killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis). As in salmonids, a positive interaction between GH and cortisol for improving hypoosmoregulatory capacity has been described in tilapia (O. mossambicus). Research on the osmoregulatory role of the GH/IGF-I axis is derived from a small number of teleost species. The study of more species with different osmoregulary patterns will be necessary to fully clarify the osmoregulatory role of GH/IGF-I axis in fish. The available data does suggest, however, that the influence of the GH/IGF-I axis on osmoregulation may be a common feature of euryhalinity in teleosts. Copyright (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.

  13. ApiEST-DB: analyzing clustered EST data of the apicomplexan parasites.

    PubMed

    Li, Li; Crabtree, Jonathan; Fischer, Steve; Pinney, Deborah; Stoeckert, Christian J; Sibley, L David; Roos, David S

    2004-01-01

    ApiEST-DB (http://www.cbil.upenn.edu/paradbs-servlet/) provides integrated access to publicly available EST data from protozoan parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. The database currently incorporates a total of nearly 100,000 ESTs from several parasite species of clinical and/or veterinary interest, including Eimeria tenella, Neospora caninum, Plasmodium falciparum, Sarcocystis neurona and Toxoplasma gondii. To facilitate analysis of these data, EST sequences were clustered and assembled to form consensus sequences for each organism, and these assemblies were then subjected to automated annotation via similarity searches against protein and domain databases. The underlying relational database infrastructure, Genomics Unified Schema (GUS), enables complex biologically based queries, facilitating validation of gene models, identification of alternative splicing, detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms, identification of stage-specific genes and recognition of phylogenetically conserved and phylogenetically restricted sequences.

  14. Physiology and immunology of Lepeophtheirus salmonis infections of salmonids.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Glenn N; Fast, Mark D; Johnson, Stewart C

    2008-04-01

    'Sea lice' is a common name for a large number of species of marine ectoparasitic copepods, many of which are widespread and important disease-causing agents that infect both cultured and wild fish. Of these copepods, the salmon louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis is the most extensively studied because of its economic impact on the salmonid aquaculture industry and its possible impacts on wild salmonid populations. Different levels of infection by this parasite can affect the long-term survival and viability of its hosts. In this article, we review the nature of the interactions between L. salmonis and it hosts to identify crucial areas that warrant further research to aid understanding of the impact of infection with L. salmonis.

  15. Marine effect of introduced salmonids: Prey consumption by exotic steelhead and anadromous brown trout in the Patagonian Continental Shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ciancio, J.; Beauchamp, D.A.; Pascual, M.

    2010-01-01

    On the basis of stable isotope analysis, we estimated the marine diet of the most abundant anadromous salmonid species in Patagonian Atlantic basins. The results were coupled with bioenergetic and population models to estimate the consumption of food by salmonids and was compared with that by seabirds, the most abundant top predators in the area. Amphipods were the main salmonid prey, followed by sprat, silversides, squid, and euphausiids. The total consumption, even assuming large anadromous salmonid populations, represented <5% of the total consumption by seabirds. We also identified the particular seabird colonies and artisanal fisheries with which salmonid trophic interactions at a more local scale could be significant. ?? 2010, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.

  16. Identification of true EST alignments for recognising transcribed regions.

    PubMed

    Ma, Chuang; Wang, Jia; Li, Lun; Duan, Mo-Jie; Zhou, Yan-Hong

    2011-01-01

    Transcribed regions can be determined by aligning Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) with genome sequences. The kernel of this strategy is to effectively distinguish true EST alignments from spurious ones. In this study, three measures including Direction Check, Identity Check and Terminal Check were introduced to more effectively eliminate spurious EST alignments. On the basis of these introduced measures and other widely used measures, a computational tool, named ESTCleanser, has been developed to identify true EST alignments for obtaining reliable transcribed regions. The performance of ESTCleanser has been evaluated on the well-annotated human ENCyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) regions using human ESTs in the dbEST database. The evaluation results show that the accuracy of ESTCleanser at exon and intron levels is more remarkably enhanced than that of UCSC-spliced EST alignments. This work would be helpful to EST-based researches on finding new genes, complementing genome annotation, recognising alternative splicing events and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), etc.

  17. Genome-wide methylation study of diploid and triploid brown trout (Salmo trutta L.).

    PubMed

    Covelo-Soto, L; Leunda, P M; Pérez-Figueroa, A; Morán, P

    2015-06-01

    The induction of triploidization in fish is a very common practice in aquaculture. Although triploidization has been applied successfully in many salmonid species, little is known about the epigenetic mechanisms implicated in the maintenance of the normal functions of the new polyploid genome. By means of methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) techniques, genome-wide methylation changes associated with triploidization were assessed in DNA samples obtained from diploid and triploid siblings of brown trout (Salmo trutta). Simple comparative body measurements showed that the triploid trout used in the study were statistically bigger, however, not heavier than their diploid counterparts. The statistical analysis of the MSAP data showed no significant differences between diploid and triploid brown trout in respect to brain, gill, heart, liver, kidney or muscle samples. Nonetheless, local analysis pointed to the possibility of differences in connection with concrete loci. This is the first study that has investigated DNA methylation alterations associated with triploidization in brown trout. Our results set the basis for new studies to be undertaken and provide a new approach concerning triploidization effects of the salmonid genome while also contributing to the better understanding of the genome-wide methylation processes. © 2015 Stichting International Foundation for Animal Genetics.

  18. Characterization of EST-derived and non-EST simple sequence repeats in an F₁ hybrid population of Vitis vinifera L.

    PubMed

    Kayesh, E; Bilkish, N; Liu, G S; Chen, W; Leng, X P; Fang, J G

    2014-03-31

    Among different classes of molecular markers, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are a new resource for developing simple sequence repeat (SSR) functional markers for genotyping and genetic mapping in F1 hybrid populations of Vitis vinifera L. Recently, because of the availability of an enormous amount of data for ESTs in the public domain, the emphasis has shifted from genomic SSRs to EST-SSRs, which belong to transcribed regions of the genome and may have a role in gene expression or function. The objective of this study was to assess the polymorphisms among 94 F1 hybrids from "Early Rose" and "Red Globe" using 25 EST-derived and 25 non-EST SSR markers. A total collection of 362,375 grape ESTs that were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and 2522 EST-SSR sequences were identified. From them, 205 primer pairs were randomly selected, including 176 pairs that were EST-derived and 29 non-EST SSR primer pairs, for polymerase chain reaction amplification. A total of 131 alleles were amplified using 50 pairs of primers; 78 alleles were amplified using EST-derived SSR primers and 53 were from non-EST SSR primers. At most, 6 and 5 alleles were amplified by EST-derived and non-EST SSR primers, respectively. The EST-derived SSR markers showed a maximum polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 1 and a minimum of 0.33 while non-EST SSR markers had maximum and minimum PIC values of 1 and 0.25, respectively. The average PIC value was 0.56 for EST-derived SSR markers and 0.45 for non-EST SSR markers.

  19. Is hyporheic flow an indicator for salmonid spawning site selection?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benjankar, R. M.; Tonina, D.; Marzadri, A.; McKean, J. A.; Isaak, D.

    2015-12-01

    Several studies have investigated the role of hydraulic variables in the selection of spawning sites by salmonids. Some recent studies suggest that the intensity of the ambient hyporheic flow, that present without a salmon egg pocket, is a cue for spawning site selection, but others have argued against it. We tested this hypothesis by using a unique dataset of field surveyed spawning site locations and an unprecedented meter-scale resolution bathymetry of a 13.5 km long reach of Bear Valley Creek (Idaho, USA), an important Chinook salmon spawning stream. We used a two-dimensional surface water model to quantify stream hydraulics and a three-dimensional hyporheic model to quantify the hyporheic flows. Our results show that the intensity of ambient hyporheic flows is not a statistically significant variable for spawning site selection. Conversely, the intensity of the water surface curvature and the habitat quality, quantified as a function of stream hydraulics and morphology, are the most important variables for salmonid spawning site selection. KEY WORDS: Salmonid spawning habitat, pool-riffle system, habitat quality, surface water curvature, hyporheic flow

  20. Model structure of the stream salmonid simulator (S3)—A dynamic model for simulating growth, movement, and survival of juvenile salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Perry, Russell W.; Plumb, John M.; Jones, Edward C.; Som, Nicholas A.; Hetrick, Nicholas J.; Hardy, Thomas B.

    2018-04-06

    Fisheries and water managers often use population models to aid in understanding the effect of alternative water management or restoration actions on anadromous fish populations. We developed the Stream Salmonid Simulator (S3) to help resource managers evaluate the effect of management alternatives on juvenile salmonid populations. S3 is a deterministic stage-structured population model that tracks daily growth, movement, and survival of juvenile salmon. A key theme of the model is that river flow affects habitat availability and capacity, which in turn drives density dependent population dynamics. To explicitly link population dynamics to habitat quality and quantity, the river environment is constructed as a one-dimensional series of linked habitat units, each of which has an associated daily time series of discharge, water temperature, and usable habitat area or carrying capacity. The physical characteristics of each habitat unit and the number of fish occupying each unit, in turn, drive survival and growth within each habitat unit and movement of fish among habitat units.The purpose of this report is to outline the underlying general structure of the S3 model that is common among different applications of the model. We have developed applications of the S3 model for juvenile fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the lower Klamath River. Thus, this report is a companion to current application of the S3 model to the Trinity River (in review). The general S3 model structure provides a biological and physical framework for the salmonid freshwater life cycle. This framework captures important demographics of juvenile salmonids aimed at translating management alternatives into simulated population responses. Although the S3 model is built on this common framework, the model has been constructed to allow much flexibility in application of the model to specific river systems. The ability for practitioners to include system-specific information for the

  1. Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass predation on juvenile Chinook salmon and other salmonids in the Lake Washington basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tabor, R.A.; Footen, B.A.; Fresh, K.L.; Celedonia, M.T.; Mejia, F.; Low, D.L.; Park, L.

    2007-01-01

    We assessed the impact of predation by smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu and largemouth bass M. salmoides on juveniles of federally listed Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and other anadromous salmonid populations in the Lake Washington system. Bass were collected with boat electrofishing equipment in the south end of Lake Washington (February-June) and the Lake Washington Ship Canal (LWSC; April-July), a narrow waterway that smolts must migrate through to reach the marine environment. Genetic analysis was used to identify ingested salmonids to obtain a more precise species-specific consumption estimate. Overall, we examined the stomachs of 783 smallmouth bass and 310 largemouth bass greater than 100 mm fork length (FL). Rates of predation on salmonids in the south end of Lake Washington were generally low for both black bass species. In the LWSC, juvenile salmonids made up a substantial part of bass diets; consumption of salmonids was lower for largemouth bass than for smallmouth bass. Smallmouth bass predation on juvenile salmonids was greatest in June, when salmonids made up approximately 50% of their diet. In the LWSC, overall black bass consumption of salmonids was approximately 36,000 (bioenergetics model) to 46,000 (meal turnover consumption model) juveniles, of which about one-third was juvenile Chinook salmon, one-third was coho salmon O. kisutch, and one-third was sockeye salmon O. nerka. We estimated that about 2,460,000 juvenile Chinook salmon (hatchery and wild sources combined) were produced in the Lake Washington basin in 1999; thus, the mortality estimates in the LWSC range from 0.5% (bioenergetics) to 0.6% (meal turnover). Black bass prey mostly on subyearlings of each salmonid species. The vulnerability of subyearlings to predation can be attributed to their relatively small size; their tendency to migrate when water temperatures exceed 15??C, coinciding with greater black bass activity; and their use of nearshore areas, where overlap

  2. Genome size, cytogenetic data and transferability of EST-SSRs markers in wild and cultivated species of the genus Theobroma L. (Byttnerioideae, Malvaceae)

    PubMed Central

    da Silva, Rangeline Azevedo; Souza, Gustavo; Lemos, Lívia Santos Lima; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Patrocínio, Nara Geórgia Ribeiro Braz; Alves, Rafael Moysés; Marcellino, Lucília Helena; Clement, Didier; Micheli, Fabienne

    2017-01-01

    The genus Theobroma comprises several trees species native to the Amazon. Theobroma cacao L. plays a key economic role mainly in the chocolate industry. Both cultivated and wild forms are described within the genus. Variations in genome size and chromosome number have been used for prediction purposes including the frequency of interspecific hybridization or inference about evolutionary relationships. In this study, the nuclear DNA content, karyotype and genetic diversity using functional microsatellites (EST-SSR) of seven Theobroma species were characterized. The nuclear content of DNA for all analyzed Theobroma species was 1C = ~ 0.46 pg. These species presented 2n = 20 with small chromosomes and only one pair of terminal heterochromatic bands positively stained (CMA+/DAPI− bands). The small size of Theobroma ssp. genomes was equivalent to other Byttnerioideae species, suggesting that the basal lineage of Malvaceae have smaller genomes and that there was an expansion of 2C values in the more specialized family clades. A set of 20 EST-SSR primers were characterized for related species of Theobroma, in which 12 loci were polymorphic. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.23 to 0.65, indicating a high level of information per locus. Combined results of flow cytometry, cytogenetic data and EST-SSRs markers will contribute to better describe the species and infer about the evolutionary relationships among Theobroma species. In addition, the importance of a core collection for conservation purposes is highlighted. PMID:28187131

  3. Genome size, cytogenetic data and transferability of EST-SSRs markers in wild and cultivated species of the genus Theobroma L. (Byttnerioideae, Malvaceae).

    PubMed

    da Silva, Rangeline Azevedo; Souza, Gustavo; Lemos, Lívia Santos Lima; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Patrocínio, Nara Geórgia Ribeiro Braz; Alves, Rafael Moysés; Marcellino, Lucília Helena; Clement, Didier; Micheli, Fabienne; Gramacho, Karina Peres

    2017-01-01

    The genus Theobroma comprises several trees species native to the Amazon. Theobroma cacao L. plays a key economic role mainly in the chocolate industry. Both cultivated and wild forms are described within the genus. Variations in genome size and chromosome number have been used for prediction purposes including the frequency of interspecific hybridization or inference about evolutionary relationships. In this study, the nuclear DNA content, karyotype and genetic diversity using functional microsatellites (EST-SSR) of seven Theobroma species were characterized. The nuclear content of DNA for all analyzed Theobroma species was 1C = ~ 0.46 pg. These species presented 2n = 20 with small chromosomes and only one pair of terminal heterochromatic bands positively stained (CMA+/DAPI- bands). The small size of Theobroma ssp. genomes was equivalent to other Byttnerioideae species, suggesting that the basal lineage of Malvaceae have smaller genomes and that there was an expansion of 2C values in the more specialized family clades. A set of 20 EST-SSR primers were characterized for related species of Theobroma, in which 12 loci were polymorphic. The polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.23 to 0.65, indicating a high level of information per locus. Combined results of flow cytometry, cytogenetic data and EST-SSRs markers will contribute to better describe the species and infer about the evolutionary relationships among Theobroma species. In addition, the importance of a core collection for conservation purposes is highlighted.

  4. Migratory salmonid redd habitat characteristics in the Salmon River, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, James H.; Nack, Christopher C.; McKenna, James E.

    2010-01-01

    Non-native migratory salmonids ascend tributaries to spawn in all the Great Lakes. In Lake Ontario, these species include Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (O. kisutch), steelhead (O. mykiss), and brown trout (Salmo trutta). Although successful natural reproduction has been documented for many of these species, little research has been conducted on their spawning habitat. We examined the spawning habitat of these four species in the Salmon River, New York. Differences in fish size among the species were significantly correlated with spawning site selection. In the Salmon River, the larger species spawned in deeper areas with larger size substrate and made the largest redds. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified redds by species 64–100% of the time. The size of substrate materials below Lighthouse Hill Dam is within the preferred ranges for spawning for these four species indicating that river armoring has not negatively impacted salmonid production. Intra-specific and inter-specific competition for spawning sites may influence redd site selection for smaller salmonids and could be an impediment for Atlantic salmon (S. salar) restoration.

  5. The footprint of salmonids on river morphology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassan, M. A.; Tonina, D.

    2012-12-01

    Female salmonids dig a pit in the streambed where they lay their eggs, which then cover with sediment from a second pit forming an egg nest call redd. This formation results in a shape resembling a dune with an amplitude, which is the vertical difference between bottom of the pit and crest of the hump, varying from few centimetres (for small fish, chum or sockeye salmon) to tenths of a meter (for large fish, Chinook salmon). During redd construction, salmonids alter streambed topography, winnow away fine sediment and mix streambed material within a layer as thick as 50 cm, for the large chinook salmon. The spawning activities may result in additional roughness at the local scale due to redds. However, redd construction may smooth large-scale topography reducing roughness due the macro-bedform. These topographical changes vary streambed roughness, which in turn may affect shear stress distribution. Redds have been suggested to increase the overall flow resistance due to form drag resulting in lower grain shear stress and less particle mobility. However, the mixing of the sediment could prevent armouring of the streambed surface allowing higher than with armouring sediment transport. Here, we use detailed pre- and post-spawning bathymetries coupled with accurate 2-dimensional hydraulic numerical modelling to test which of these two effects has potentially more impact on sediment transport. Our results show that topographical roughness added by sockeye salmons, which build small redds with 15cm amplitude and 1 meter wavelength (longitudinal length of a redd), has negligible effect on shear stress at the reach-scale and limited at the local scale. Conversely, sediment mixing has an important effect on reducing armouring, increasing sediment mobility, which results in potentially more sediment transport in reaches with than without redds. Consequently, salmonid bioturbation due to mass-spawning fish can be a dominant element for sediment transport in mountain drainage

  6. Low summer water temperatures influence occurrence of naturalized salmonids across a mountain watershed

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mullner, S.A.; Hubert, W.A.

    2005-01-01

    We investigated relationships between the absence of salmonids and low summer water temperatures across a 150-km2 Rocky Mountain watershed. A model predicting maximum July water temperature (MJT) from measurements of perennial stream length, wetted width, and midrange basin elevation was developed from temperature data obtained at 20 sites across the watershed. The model was used to predict MJT in 75 reaches across the watershed where salmonids were sampled. The lowest predicted MJT in reaches where age-0 and juvenile-adult brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis were observed was 9??C. The lowest predicted MJT in reaches where age-0 progeny of the genus Oncorhynchus spp. (i.e., rainbow trout O. mykiss or cutthroat trout O. clarkii) were observed was 13??C and where Oncorhynchus spp. adults where observed was 12??C. The probability of occurrence of both age-0 and adult brook trout and Oncorhynchus spp. increased as MJT increased above these thresholds. Our results indicate that low MJT in some portions of a mountain watershed can be related to the absence of salmonids. Consequently, data on MJT may provide managers with a means of assessing where summer water temperatures are not suitable for establishment of naturalized salmonid populations. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

  7. Modeling effects of climate change on Yakima River salmonid habitats

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hatten, James R.; Batt, Thomas R.; Connolly, Patrick J.; Maule, Alec G.

    2014-01-01

    We evaluated the potential effects of two climate change scenarios on salmonid habitats in the Yakima River by linking the outputs from a watershed model, a river operations model, a two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic model, and a geographic information system (GIS). The watershed model produced a discharge time series (hydrograph) in two study reaches under three climate scenarios: a baseline (1981–2005), a 1-°C increase in mean air temperature (plus one scenario), and a 2-°C increase (plus two scenario). A river operations model modified the discharge time series with Yakima River operational rules, a 2D model provided spatially explicit depth and velocity grids for two floodplain reaches, while an expert panel provided habitat criteria for four life stages of coho and fall Chinook salmon. We generated discharge-habitat functions for each salmonid life stage (e.g., spawning, rearing) in main stem and side channels, and habitat time series for baseline, plus one (P1) and plus two (P2) scenarios. The spatial and temporal patterns in salmonid habitats differed by reach, life stage, and climate scenario. Seventy-five percent of the 28 discharge-habitat responses exhibited a decrease in habitat quantity, with the P2 scenario producing the largest changes, followed by P1. Fry and spring/summer rearing habitats were the most sensitive to warming and flow modification for both species. Side channels generally produced more habitat than main stem and were more responsive to flow changes, demonstrating the importance of lateral connectivity in the floodplain. A discharge-habitat sensitivity analysis revealed that proactive management of regulated surface waters (i.e., increasing or decreasing flows) might lessen the impacts of climate change on salmonid habitats.

  8. Juvenile and resident salmonid movement and passage through culverts

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-07-01

    An outcome of the Washington State Department of Transportation's Juvenile Fish Passage Workshop on September 24, 1997, was agreement that a literature review was necessary to determine the state of knowledge about juvenile salmonid movement and pass...

  9. Construction and Annotation of a High Density SNP Linkage Map of the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Genome.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Hsin Y; Robledo, Diego; Lowe, Natalie R; Bekaert, Michael; Taggart, John B; Bron, James E; Houston, Ross D

    2016-07-07

    High density linkage maps are useful tools for fine-scale mapping of quantitative trait loci, and characterization of the recombination landscape of a species' genome. Genomic resources for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) include a well-assembled reference genome, and high density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. Our aim was to create a high density linkage map, and to align it with the reference genome assembly. Over 96,000 SNPs were mapped and ordered on the 29 salmon linkage groups using a pedigreed population comprising 622 fish from 60 nuclear families, all genotyped with the 'ssalar01' high density SNP array. The number of SNPs per group showed a high positive correlation with physical chromosome length (r = 0.95). While the order of markers on the genetic and physical maps was generally consistent, areas of discrepancy were identified. Approximately 6.5% of the previously unmapped reference genome sequence was assigned to chromosomes using the linkage map. Male recombination rate was lower than females across the vast majority of the genome, but with a notable peak in subtelomeric regions. Finally, using RNA-Seq data to annotate the reference genome, the mapped SNPs were categorized according to their predicted function, including annotation of ∼2500 putative nonsynonymous variants. The highest density SNP linkage map for any salmonid species has been created, annotated, and integrated with the Atlantic salmon reference genome assembly. This map highlights the marked heterochiasmy of salmon, and provides a useful resource for salmonid genetics and genomics research. Copyright © 2016 Tsai et al.

  10. Efficacy of passive sand filtration in reducing exposure of salmonids to the actinospore of Myxobolus cerebralis.

    PubMed

    Nehring, R Barry; Thompson, Kevin G; Taurman, Karen; Atkinson, William

    2003-12-03

    The aquatic oligochaete Tubifex tubifex parasitized by Myxobolus cerebralis releases triactinomyxon (TAM) actinospores that can infect some species of salmonids and cause salmonid whirling disease. Silica sand was tested as a filtration medium for removal of TAMs from water containing the parasite. Laboratory tests indicated sand filtration removed > 99.99% of TAMs. In 2 different field tests, groups of 1 mo old rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were exposed for 2 wk to filtered and unfiltered water from a spring-fed pond enzootic for M. cerebralis. In November 2000, the exposure dose was estimated as between 3 and 5 TAMs fish(-1). During a March 2001 exposure, the estimated dose was between 286 and 404 TAMs fish(-1). Fish were held for 6 mo post exposure (p.e.) in laboratory aquaria for observation and evidence of clinical signs of whirling disease. We used 4 diagnostic techniques to assess the prevalence and severity of infection by M. cerebralis among fish exposed to filtered and unfiltered water. These included polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genomic DNA of the parasite, histological evaluation for tissue damage, tissue digestion for quantification of cranial myxospores of the parasite, and total non-sampling mortality that occurred over 6 mo p.e. All diagnostic tests verified that the prevalence and severity of infection was significantly reduced among fish in treatment groups exposed to filtered water compared to those exposed to unfiltered water in both the low-dose and high-dose exposures.

  11. Comparative genomics of grass EST libraries reveals previously uncharacterized splicing events in crop plants.

    PubMed

    Chuang, Trees-Juen; Yang, Min-Yu; Lin, Chuang-Chieh; Hsieh, Ping-Hung; Hung, Li-Yuan

    2015-02-05

    Crop plants such as rice, maize and sorghum play economically-important roles as main sources of food, fuel, and animal feed. However, current genome annotations of crop plants still suffer false-positive predictions; a more comprehensive registry of alternative splicing (AS) events is also in demand. Comparative genomics of crop plants is largely unexplored. We performed a large-scale comparative analysis (ExonFinder) of the expressed sequence tag (EST) library from nine grass plants against three crop genomes (rice, maize, and sorghum) and identified 2,879 previously-unannotated exons (i.e., novel exons) in the three crops. We validated 81% of the tested exons by RT-PCR-sequencing, supporting the effectiveness of our in silico strategy. Evolutionary analysis reveals that the novel exons, comparing with their flanking annotated ones, are generally under weaker selection pressure at the protein level, but under stronger pressure at the RNA level, suggesting that most of the novel exons also represent novel alternatively spliced variants (ASVs). However, we also observed the consistency of evolutionary rates between certain novel exons and their flanking exons, which provided further evidence of their co-occurrence in the transcripts, suggesting that previously-annotated isoforms might be subject to erroneous predictions. Our validation showed that 54% of the tested genes expressed the newly-identified isoforms that contained the novel exons, rather than the previously-annotated isoforms that excluded them. The consistent results were steadily observed across cultivated (Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima) and wild (O. rufipogon and O. nivara) rice species, asserting the necessity of our curation of the crop genome annotations. Our comparative analyses also inferred the common ancestral transcriptome of grass plants and gain- and loss-of-ASV events. We have reannotated the rice, maize, and sorghum genomes, and showed that evolutionary rates might serve as an indicator

  12. Details of Retropositional Genome Dynamics That Provide a Rationale for a Generic Division: The Distinct Branching of All the Pacific Salmon and Trout (Oncorhynchus) from the Atlantic Salmon and Trout (Salmo)

    PubMed Central

    Murata, S.; Takasaki, N.; Saitoh, M.; Tachida, H.; Okada, N.

    1996-01-01

    Salmonid species contain numerous short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs), known collectively as the HpaI family, in their genomes. Amplification and successive integration of individual SINEs into the genomes have occurred during the evolution of salmonids. We reported previously a strategy for determining the phylogenetic relationships among the Pacific salmonids in which these SINEs were used as temporal landmarks of evolution. Here, we provide evidence for extensive genomic rearrangements that involved retropositions and deletions in a common ancestor of all the Pacific salmon and trout. Our results provide genetic support for the recent phylogenetic reassignment of steelhead and related species from the genus Salmo to the genus Oncorhynchus. Several other informative loci identified by insertions of HpaI SINEs have been isolated, and previously proposed branching orders of the Oncorhynchus species have been confirmed. The authenticity of our phylogenetic tree is supported both by the isolation of more than two informative loci per branching point and by the congruence of all our data, which suggest that the period between succesive speciations was sufficiently long for each SINE that had been amplified in the original species to become fixed in all individuals of that species. PMID:8849897

  13. Variation in salmonid life histories: patterns and perspectives.

    Treesearch

    Mary F. Willson

    1997-01-01

    Salmonid fishes differ in degree of anadromy, age of maturation, frequency of reproduction, body size and fecundity, sexual dimorphism, breeding season, morphology, and, to a lesser degree, parental care. Patterns of variation and their possible significance for ecology and evolution and for resource management are the focus of this review.

  14. DoEstRare: A statistical test to identify local enrichments in rare genomic variants associated with disease.

    PubMed

    Persyn, Elodie; Karakachoff, Matilde; Le Scouarnec, Solena; Le Clézio, Camille; Campion, Dominique; Consortium, French Exome; Schott, Jean-Jacques; Redon, Richard; Bellanger, Lise; Dina, Christian

    2017-01-01

    Next-generation sequencing technologies made it possible to assay the effect of rare variants on complex diseases. As an extension of the "common disease-common variant" paradigm, rare variant studies are necessary to get a more complete insight into the genetic architecture of human traits. Association studies of these rare variations show new challenges in terms of statistical analysis. Due to their low frequency, rare variants must be tested by groups. This approach is then hindered by the fact that an unknown proportion of the variants could be neutral. The risk level of a rare variation may be determined by its impact but also by its position in the protein sequence. More generally, the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease architecture may involve specific protein domains or inter-genic regulatory regions. While a large variety of methods are optimizing functionality weights for each single marker, few evaluate variant position differences between cases and controls. Here, we propose a test called DoEstRare, which aims to simultaneously detect clusters of disease risk variants and global allele frequency differences in genomic regions. This test estimates, for cases and controls, variant position densities in the genetic region by a kernel method, weighted by a function of allele frequencies. We compared DoEstRare with previously published strategies through simulation studies as well as re-analysis of real datasets. Based on simulation under various scenarios, DoEstRare was the sole to consistently show highest performance, in terms of type I error and power both when variants were clustered or not. DoEstRare was also applied to Brugada syndrome and early-onset Alzheimer's disease data and provided complementary results to other existing tests. DoEstRare, by integrating variant position information, gives new opportunities to explain disease susceptibility. DoEstRare is implemented in a user-friendly R package.

  15. Sublethal toxicity of chlorpyrifos to salmonid olfaction after hypersaline acclimation.

    PubMed

    Maryoung, Lindley A; Blunt, Brian; Tierney, Keith B; Schlenk, Daniel

    2015-04-01

    Salmonid habitats can be impacted by several environmental factors, such as salinization, which can also affect salmonid tolerance to anthropogenic stressors, such as pesticides. Previous studies have shown that hypersaline acclimation enhances the acute toxicity of certain organophosphate and carbamate pesticides to euryhaline fish; however, sublethal impacts have been far less studied. The current study aims to determine how hypersaline acclimation and exposure to the organophosphate chlorpyrifos (CPF) impact salmonid olfaction. Combined acclimation and exposure to CPF was shown to impact rainbow trout olfaction at the molecular, physiological, and behavioral levels. Concurrent exposure to hypersalinity and 0.5μg/L CPF upregulated four genes (chloride intracellular channel 4, G protein zgc:101761, calcium calmodulin dependent protein kinase II delta, and adrenergic alpha 2C receptor) that inhibit olfactory signal transduction. At the physiological level, hypersalinity and chlorpyrifos caused a decrease in sensory response to the amino acid l-serine and the bile salt taurocholic acid. Combined acclimation and exposure also negatively impacted behavior and reduced the avoidance of a predator cue (l-serine). Thus, acclimation to hypersaline conditions and exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of chlorpyrifos caused an inhibition of olfactory signal transduction leading to a decreased response to odorants and impairment of olfactory mediated behaviors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Effects of Hatchery Rearing on the Structure and Function of Salmonid Mechanosensory Systems.

    PubMed

    Brown, Andrew D; Sisneros, Joseph A; Jurasin, Tyler; Coffin, Allison B

    2016-01-01

    This paper reviews recent studies on the effects of hatchery rearing on the auditory and lateral line systems of salmonid fishes. Major conclusions are that (1) hatchery-reared juveniles exhibit abnormal lateral line morphology (relative to wild-origin conspecifics), suggesting that the hatchery environment affects lateral line structure, perhaps due to differences in the hydrodynamic conditions of hatcheries versus natural rearing environments, and (2) hatchery-reared salmonids have a high proportion of abnormal otoliths, a condition associated with reduced auditory sensitivity and suggestive of inner ear dysfunction.

  17. Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags (EST) in Date Palm.

    PubMed

    Al-Faifi, Sulieman A; Migdadi, Hussein M; Algamdi, Salem S; Khan, Mohammad Altaf; Al-Obeed, Rashid S; Ammar, Megahed H; Jakse, Jerenj

    2017-01-01

    Expressed sequence tags (EST) were generated from a normalized cDNA library of the date palm Sukkari cv. to understand the high-quality and better field performance of this well-known commercial cultivar. A total of 6943 high-quality ESTs were generated, out of them 6671 are submitted to the GenBank dbEST (LIBEST_028537). The generated ESTs were assembled into 6362 unigenes, consisting of 494 (14.4%) contigs and 5868 (84.53%) singletons. The functional annotation shows that the majority of the ESTs are associated with binding (44%), catalytic (40%), transporter (5%), and structural molecular (5%) activities. The blastx results show that 73% of unigenes are significantly similar to known plant genes and 27% are novel. The latter could be of particular interest in date palm genetic studies. Further analysis shows that some ESTs are categorized as stress/defense- and fruit development-related genes. These newly generated ESTs could significantly enhance date palm EST databases in the public domain and are available to scientists and researchers across the globe. This knowledge will facilitate the discovery of candidate genes that govern important developmental and agronomical traits in date palm. It will provide important resources for developing genetic tools, comparative genomics, and genome evolution among date palm cultivars.

  18. Construction, database integration, and application of an Oenothera EST library.

    PubMed

    Mrácek, Jaroslav; Greiner, Stephan; Cho, Won Kyong; Rauwolf, Uwe; Braun, Martha; Umate, Pavan; Altstätter, Johannes; Stoppel, Rhea; Mlcochová, Lada; Silber, Martina V; Volz, Stefanie M; White, Sarah; Selmeier, Renate; Rudd, Stephen; Herrmann, Reinhold G; Meurer, Jörg

    2006-09-01

    Coevolution of cellular genetic compartments is a fundamental aspect in eukaryotic genome evolution that becomes apparent in serious developmental disturbances after interspecific organelle exchanges. The genus Oenothera represents a unique, at present the only available, resource to study the role of the compartmentalized plant genome in diversification of populations and speciation processes. An integrated approach involving cDNA cloning, EST sequencing, and bioinformatic data mining was chosen using Oenothera elata with the genetic constitution nuclear genome AA with plastome type I. The Gene Ontology system grouped 1621 unique gene products into 17 different functional categories. Application of arrays generated from a selected fraction of ESTs revealed significantly differing expression profiles among closely related Oenothera species possessing the potential to generate fertile and incompatible plastid/nuclear hybrids (hybrid bleaching). Furthermore, the EST library provides a valuable source of PCR-based polymorphic molecular markers that are instrumental for genotyping and molecular mapping approaches.

  19. SolEST database: a "one-stop shop" approach to the study of Solanaceae transcriptomes.

    PubMed

    D'Agostino, Nunzio; Traini, Alessandra; Frusciante, Luigi; Chiusano, Maria Luisa

    2009-11-30

    Since no genome sequences of solanaceous plants have yet been completed, expressed sequence tag (EST) collections represent a reliable tool for broad sampling of Solanaceae transcriptomes, an attractive route for understanding Solanaceae genome functionality and a powerful reference for the structural annotation of emerging Solanaceae genome sequences. We describe the SolEST database http://biosrv.cab.unina.it/solestdb which integrates different EST datasets from both cultivated and wild Solanaceae species and from two species of the genus Coffea. Background as well as processed data contained in the database, extensively linked to external related resources, represent an invaluable source of information for these plant families. Two novel features differentiate SolEST from other resources: i) the option of accessing and then visualizing Solanaceae EST/TC alignments along the emerging tomato and potato genome sequences; ii) the opportunity to compare different Solanaceae assemblies generated by diverse research groups in the attempt to address a common complaint in the SOL community. Different databases have been established worldwide for collecting Solanaceae ESTs and are related in concept, content and utility to the one presented herein. However, the SolEST database has several distinguishing features that make it appealing for the research community and facilitates a "one-stop shop" for the study of Solanaceae transcriptomes.

  20. Feeding response by northern squawfish to a hatchery release of juvenile salmonids in the Clearwater River, Idaho

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Shively, R.S.; Poe, T.P.; Sauter, S.T.

    1996-01-01

    We collected gut contents from northern squawfish Ptychocheilus oregonensis captured in the Clearwater River, Idaho, 0–6 km from its confluence with the Snake River, following the release of 1.1 million yearling chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery. Before the hatchery release, northern squawfish gut contents (by weight) in the study area were 38% crayfish Pacifastacus spp., 26% insects, 19% nonsalmonid fish, and 16% wheat kernels Triticum spp. Juvenile salmonids constituted 54% of gut contents about 24 h after the hatchery release, 78% after 5 d, and 86% after 7 d. The mean number of salmonids per gut (1.2) after release was higher than typically seen in guts from northern squawfish collected in mid-reservoir areas away from hydroelectric dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers. Length-frequency distributions of juvenile salmonids eaten and those captured in a scoop trap 4 km upstream of the study area indicated that northern squawfish were selectively feeding on the smaller individuals. We attribute the high rates of predation in the study area to the artificially high density of juvenile salmonids resulting from the hatchery release and to the physical characteristics of the study area in which the river changed from free flowing to impounded. Our results suggest that northern squawfish can quickly exploit hatchery releases of juvenile salmonids away from release sites in the Columbia River basin.

  1. Genetic variation among Flavobacterium psychrophilum isolates from wild and farmed salmonids in Norway and Chile.

    PubMed

    Apablaza, P; Løland, A D; Brevik, Ø J; Ilardi, P; Battaglia, J; Nylund, A

    2013-04-01

    To aim of the study was to describe the genetic relationship between isolates of Flavobacterium psychrophilum with a main emphasis of samples from Chile and Norway. The isolates have been obtained from farmed salmonids in Norway and Chile, and from wild salmonids in Norway, but isolates from North America and European countries are also included in the analysis. The study is based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and seven housekeeping genes (HG), gyrB, atpA, dnaK, trpB, fumC, murG and tuf, and the use of a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system, based on nucleotide polymorphism in the HG, as an alternative to the phylogenies. The variation within the selected genes was limited, and the phylogenetic analysis gave little resolution between the isolates. The MLST gave a much better resolution resulting in 53 sequence types where the same sequences types could be found in Chile, North America and European countries, and in different host species. Multilocus sequence typing give a relatively good separation of different isolates of Fl. psychrophilum and show that there are no distinct geographical or host-specific isolates in the studied material from Chile, North America and Europe. Nor was it possible to separate between isolates from ulcers and systemic infections vs isolates from the surface of healthy salmonids. This study shows a wide geographical distribution of Fl. psychrophilum, indicating that the bacterium has a large potential for transmission over long distances, and between different salmonid hosts species. This knowledge will be important for future management of salmonids diseases connected to Fl. psychrophilum. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  2. System-Wide Significance of Predation on Juvenile Salmonids in Columbia and Snake River Reservoirs : Annual Report of Research 1990.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Petersen, C.J.

    1991-03-01

    The consumption rates of northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) preying upon juvenile salmonids were indexed in four reservoirs (Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day and McNary) of the lower Columbia River. During the spring and summer of 1990, over 2000 northern squawfish were collected from dam forebays, dam tailraces and mid-reservoir locations. Gut content data, predator weight and water temperature were used to compute a consumption index (CI) for northern squawfish. Juvenile salmonids were found in 435 of 1598 northern squawfish guts analyzed. Besides salmonids and other preyfish, crustaceans formed a significant portion of the diet. The CI of northern squawfish variedmore » by season and location. At most locations, summer CI's of northern squawfish were higher than in the spring. Efforts to match sample collection with times of highest juvenile salmonid passage were successful except during July at The Dalles and Bonneville Reservoirs. Consumption indices were moderate to high at several locations even when passage was relatively low, suggesting salmonid predation rate by northern squawfish was not always a function of prey density. 19 refs., 5 figs., 12 tabs.« less

  3. Differential transferability of EST-SSR primers developed from diploid species Pseudoroegneria spicata, Thinopyrum bessarabicum, and Th. elongatum

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Simple sequence repeat technology based on expressed sequence tag (EST-SSR) is a useful genomic tool for genome mapping, characterizing plant species relationships, elucidating genome evolution, and tracing genes on alien chromosome segments. EST-SSR primers developed from three perennial diploid T...

  4. Underwater methods for study of salmonids in the Intermountain West

    Treesearch

    Russell F. Thurow

    1994-01-01

    This guide describes underwater methods using snorkeling gear to study fish populations in flowing waters of the Intermountain West. It outlines procedures for estimating salmonid abundance and habitat use and provides criteria for identifying and estimating the size of fish underwater.

  5. Single nucleotide polymorphism discovery in cutthroat trout subspecies using genome reduction, barcoding, and 454 pyro-sequencing

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Salmonids are popular sport fishes, and as such have been subjected to widespread stocking throughout western North America. Historically, stocking was done with little regard for genetic variation among populations and has resulted in genetic mixing among species and subspecies in many areas, thus putting the genetic integrity of native salmonid populations at risk and creating a need to assess the genetic constitution of native salmonid populations. Cutthroat trout is a salmonid species with pronounced geographic structure (there are 10 extant subspecies) and a recent history of hybridization with introduced rainbow trout in many populations. Genetic admixture has also occurred among cutthroat trout subspecies in areas where introductions have brought two or more subspecies into contact. Consequently, management agencies have increased their efforts to evaluate the genetic composition of cutthroat trout populations to identify populations that remain uncompromised and manage them accordingly, but additional genetic markers are needed to do so effectively. Here we used genome reduction, MID-barcoding, and 454-pyrosequencing to discover single nucleotide polymorphisms that differentiate cutthroat trout subspecies and can be used as a rapid, cost-effective method to characterize the genetic composition of cutthroat trout populations. Results Thirty cutthroat and six rainbow trout individuals were subjected to genome reduction and next-generation sequencing. A total of 1,499,670 reads averaging 379 base pairs in length were generated by 454-pyrosequencing, resulting in 569,060,077 total base pairs sequenced. A total of 43,558 putative SNPs were identified, and of those, 125 SNP primers were developed that successfully amplified 96 cutthroat trout and rainbow trout individuals. These SNP loci were able to differentiate most cutthroat trout subspecies using distance methods and Structure analyses. Conclusions Genomic and bioinformatic protocols were

  6. Genomic resources for Myzus persicae: EST sequencing, SNP identification, and microarray design

    PubMed Central

    Ramsey, John S; Wilson, Alex CC; de Vos, Martin; Sun, Qi; Tamborindeguy, Cecilia; Winfield, Agnese; Malloch, Gaynor; Smith, Dawn M; Fenton, Brian; Gray, Stewart M; Jander, Georg

    2007-01-01

    Background The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is a world-wide insect pest capable of infesting more than 40 plant families, including many crop species. However, despite the significant damage inflicted by M. persicae in agricultural systems through direct feeding damage and by its ability to transmit plant viruses, limited genomic information is available for this species. Results Sequencing of 16 M. persicae cDNA libraries generated 26,669 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Aphids for library construction were raised on Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana benthamiana, Brassica oleracea, B. napus, and Physalis floridana (with and without Potato leafroll virus infection). The M. persicae cDNA libraries include ones made from sexual and asexual whole aphids, guts, heads, and salivary glands. In silico comparison of cDNA libraries identified aphid genes with tissue-specific expression patterns, and gene expression that is induced by feeding on Nicotiana benthamiana. Furthermore, 2423 genes that are novel to science and potentially aphid-specific were identified. Comparison of cDNA data from three aphid lineages identified single nucleotide polymorphisms that can be used as genetic markers and, in some cases, may represent functional differences in the protein products. In particular, non-conservative amino acid substitutions in a highly expressed gut protease may be of adaptive significance for M. persicae feeding on different host plants. The Agilent eArray platform was used to design an M. persicae oligonucleotide microarray representing over 10,000 unique genes. Conclusion New genomic resources have been developed for M. persicae, an agriculturally important insect pest. These include previously unknown sequence data, a collection of expressed genes, molecular markers, and a DNA microarray that can be used to study aphid gene expression. These resources will help elucidate the adaptations that allow M. persicae to develop compatible interactions with its

  7. Modeling potential river management conflicts between frogs and salmonids

    Treesearch

    Steven F. Railsback; Bret C. Harvey; Sarah J. Kupferberg; Margaret M. Lang; Scott McBain; Hart H. Welsh

    2016-01-01

    Management of regulated rivers for yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) and salmonids exemplifies potential conflicts among species adapted to different parts of the natural flow and temperature regimes. Yellow-legged frogs oviposit in rivers in spring and depend on declining flows and warming temperatures for egg and tadpole survival and growth,...

  8. Developments in the control of bacterial kidney disease of salmonid fishes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Elliott, D.G.; Pascho, R.J.; Bullock, G.L.

    1989-01-01

    Bacterial kidney disease of salmonid fishes, caused by Renibactenum salrnoninarum, was first reported more than 50 yr ago; nevertheless, large gaps persist in our knowledge of the infection - particularly in methods for its control. In the 1950's, principal control measures consisted of prophylactic or therapeutic feeding of sulfonamides, which were later supplanted by the antibiotic erythromycin. Chemotherapy has effected some reduction of mortality, but benefits are typically transient and mortality usually resumes after the drug is withdrawn. Some studies have indicated that diet composition affects the prevalence and severity of the disease. Although tests of chemotherapeutants and diet modification have continued, research emphasis has shifted partly toward prevention of the disease by breaking the infection cycle. It is now generally accepted that R. salrnoninarum can be transmitted both vertically and horizontally. Experimental evidence indicates that immersion of newly fertilized eggs in iodophor or erythromycin does not prevent vertical transmission. However, the injection of female salmon with erythromycin before they spawn shows promise as a practical means of interrupting vertical transmission. The results of attempts to prevent infection of juvenile salmonids by vaccination against bacterial kidney disease have been disappointing, thus underscoring a basic need for a better understanding of protective mechanisms in salmonids. The recent development of more sensitive and quantitative detection methods should aid in evaluating the efficacy of current and future control strategies.

  9. River Temperature Dynamics and Habitat Characteristics as Predictors of Salmonid Abundance using Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gryczkowski, L.; Gallion, D.; Haeseker, S.; Bower, R.; Collier, M.; Selker, J. S.; Scherberg, J.; Henry, R.

    2011-12-01

    Salmonids require cool water for all life stages, including spawning and growth. Excessive water temperature causes reduced growth and increased disease and mortality. During the summer, salmonids seek local zones of cooler water as a refuge from elevated temperatures. They also prefer specific habitat features such as boulders and overhanging vegetation. The purpose of this study is to determine whether temperature dynamics or commonly measured fish habitat metrics best explain salmonid abundance. The study site was a 2-kilometer reach of the Walla Walla River near Milton-Freewater, OR, USA, which provides habitat for the salmonids chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), steelhead/rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), and the endangered bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). The Walla Walla River is listed as an impaired water body under section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act due to temperature. The associated total maximum daily load (TMDL) calls for temperatures to be below 18 °C at all times for salmonid rearing and migration; however, river temperatures surpassed 24 °C in parts of the study reach in 2009. The two largest factors contributing to the warmer water are reduced riparian vegetation, which decreases shading and increases direct solar radiation, and decreased summer flows caused by diversions and irrigation for agriculture. Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing has emerged as a unique and powerful tool for ecological applications because of its high spatial and temporal resolution. In this study, meter-scale temperature measurements were obtained at 15-minute intervals along the length of the study reach, allowing for the detection and quantification of cold water inflows during the summer of 2009. The cold water inflows were classified as groundwater or hyporheic sources based on the diurnal temperature patterns. Snorkel surveys were conducted in mid-July and mid-August, 2009 to enumerate salmonid

  10. The energetic consequences of habitat structure for forest stream salmonids.

    PubMed

    Naman, Sean M; Rosenfeld, Jordan S; Kiffney, Peter M; Richardson, John S

    2018-05-08

    1.Increasing habitat availability (i.e. habitat suitable for occupancy) is often assumed to elevate the abundance or production of mobile consumers; however, this relationship is often nonlinear (threshold or unimodal). Identifying the mechanisms underlying these nonlinearities is essential for predicting the ecological impacts of habitat change, yet the functional forms and ultimate causation of consumer-habitat relationships are often poorly understood. 2.Nonlinear effects of habitat on animal abundance may manifest through physical constraints on foraging that restrict consumers from accessing their resources. Subsequent spatial incongruence between consumers and resources should lead to unimodal or saturating effects of habitat availability on consumer production if increasing the area of habitat suitable for consumer occupancy comes at the expense of habitats that generate resources. However, the shape of this relationship could be sensitive to cross-ecosystem prey subsidies, which may be unrelated to recipient habitat structure and result in more linear habitat effects on consumer production. 3.We investigated habitat-productivity relationships for juveniles of stream-rearing Pacific salmon and trout (Oncorhynchus spp.), which typically forage in low-velocity pool habitats, while their prey (drifting benthic invertebrates) are produced upstream in high-velocity riffles. However, juvenile salmonids also consume subsidies of terrestrial invertebrates that may be independent of pool-riffle structure. 4.We measured salmonid biomass production in 13 experimental enclosures each containing a downstream pool and upstream riffle, spanning a gradient of relative pool area (14-80% pool). Increasing pool relative to riffle habitat area decreased prey abundance, leading to a nonlinear saturating effect on fish production. We then used bioenergetics model simulations to examine how the relationship between pool area and salmonid biomass is affected by varying levels of

  11. Prevention and control of viral diseases of salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Amend, Donald F.

    1976-01-01

    Three viral diseases of salmonids are of worldwide concern: infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), and infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN). Six principal approaches are being used to prevent or control these diseases: 1) preventing contact o the pathogen with the host, 2) environmental manipulation, 3) immunization, 4) chemotherapy, 5 selective breeding for disease resistance, and 6) reducing stress conditions which augment disease conditions. Preventing the introduction of a pathogen into a new stock of fish has been accomplished mainly by implementing stringent laws to prevent transport of infected fish into uninfected areas. Stocks of fish already infected are sometimes destroyed, and the hatchery is disinfected and restocked with fish free of specific pathogens. Environmental manipulation (elevated water temperature) has been successfully used to control IHN. Chemotherapeutics such as povidone-iodine for IPN and benzipyrene for IHN show promise of controlling mortalities; however, the practicality of using these drugs to eliminate the carrier fish has not been evaluated. Salmonids are capable of developing immune responses to viruses; however, development of effective vaccines, selective breeding for disease resistance, and identification of stress conditions which augment disease are still in the experimental phase.

  12. An EST dataset for Metasequoia glyptostroboides buds: the first EST resource for molecular genomics studies in Metasequoia.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Ying; Thammannagowda, Shivegowda; Staton, Margaret; Tang, Sha; Xia, Xinli; Yin, Weilun; Liang, Haiying

    2013-03-01

    The "living fossil" Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng, commonly known as dawn redwood or Chinese redwood, is the only living species in the genus and is valued for its essential oil and crude extracts that have great potential for anti-fungal activity. Despite its paleontological significance and economical value as a rare relict species, genomic resources of Metasequoia are very limited. In order to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms behind the formation of reproductive buds and the transition from vegetative phase to reproductive phase in Metasequoia, we performed sequencing of expressed sequence tags from Metasequoia vegetative buds and female buds. By using the 454 pyrosequencing technology, a total of 1,571,764 high-quality reads were generated, among which 733,128 were from vegetative buds and 775,636 were from female buds. These EST reads were clustered and assembled into 114,124 putative unique transcripts (PUTs) with an average length of 536 bp. The 97,565 PUTs that were at least 100 bp in length were functionally annotated by a similarity search against public databases and assigned with Gene Ontology (GO) terms. A total of 59 known floral gene families and 190 isotigs involved in hormone regulation were captured in the dataset. Furthermore, a set of PUTs differentially expressed in vegetative and reproductive buds, as well as SSR motifs and high confidence SNPs, were identified. This is the first large-scale expressed sequence tags ever generated in Metasequoia and the first evidence for floral genes in this critically endangered deciduous conifer species.

  13. Predicting recolonization patterns and interactions between potamodromous and anadromous salmonids in response to dam removal in the Elwha River, Washington State, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brenkman, S.J.; Pess, G.R.; Torgersen, C.E.; Kloehn, K.K.; Duda, J.J.; Corbett, S.C.

    2008-01-01

    The restoration of salmonids in the Elwha River following dam removal will cause interactions between anadromous and potamodromous forms as recolonization occurs in upstream and downstream directions. Anadromous salmonids are expected to recolonize historic habitats, and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) isolated above the dams for 90 years are expected to reestablish anadromy. We summarized the distribution and abundance of potamodromous salmonids, determined locations of spawning areas, and mapped natural barriers to fish migration at the watershed scale based on data collected from 1993 to 2006. Rainbow trout were far more abundant than bull trout throughout the watershed and both species were distributed up to river km 71. Spawning locations for bull trout and rainbow trout occurred in areas where we anticipate returning anadromous fish to spawn. Nonnative brook trout were confined to areas between and below the dams, and seasonal velocity barriers are expected to prevent their upstream movements. We hypothesize that the extent of interaction between potamodromous and anadromous salmonids will vary spatially due to natural barriers that will limit upstream-directed recolonization for some species of salmonids. Consequently, most competitive interactions will occur in the main stem and floodplain downstream of river km 25 and in larger tributaries. Understanding future responses of Pacific salmonids after dam removal in the Elwha River depends upon an understanding of existing conditions of the salmonid community upstream of the dams prior to dam removal.

  14. Estimated loss of juvenile salmonids to predation by northern squawfish, walleyes, and smallmouth bass in John Day Reservoir, Columbia River

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rieman, Bruce E.; Beamesderfer, Raymond C.; Vigg, Steven; Poe, Thomas P.

    1991-01-01

    We estimated the loss of juvenile salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. to predation by northern squawfish Ptychocheilus oregonensis, walleyes Stizostedion vitreum, and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in John Day Reservoir during 1983–1986. Our estimates were based on measures of daily prey consumption, predator numbers, and numbers of juvenile salmonids entering the reservoir during the April–August period of migration. We estimated the mean annual loss was 2.7 million juvenile salmonids (95% confidence interval, 1.9–3.3 million). Northern squawfish were responsible for 78% of the total loss; walleyes accounted for 13% and smallmouth bass for 9%. Twenty-one percent of the loss occurred in a small area immediately below McNary Dam at the head of John Day Reservoir. We estimated that the three predator species consumed 14% (95% confidence interval, 9–19%) of all juvenile salmonids that entered the reservoir. Mortality changed by month and increased late in the migration season. Monthly mortality estimates ranged from 7% in June to 61% in August. Mortality from predation was highest for chinook salmon O. tshawytscha, which migrated in July and August. Despite uncertainties in the estimates, it is clear that predation by resident fish predators can easily account for previously unexplained mortality of out-migrating juvenile salmonids. Alteration of the Columbia River by dams and a decline in the number of salmonids could have increased the fraction of mortality caused by predation over what it was in the past.

  15. Linkage maps of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) genome derived from RAD sequencing

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Genetic linkage maps are useful tools for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing variation in traits of interest in a population. Genotyping-by-sequencing approaches such as Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq) now enable the rapid discovery and genotyping of genome-wide SNP markers suitable for the development of dense SNP linkage maps, including in non-model organisms such as Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). This paper describes the development and characterisation of a high density SNP linkage map based on SbfI RAD-Seq SNP markers from two Atlantic salmon reference families. Results Approximately 6,000 SNPs were assigned to 29 linkage groups, utilising markers from known genomic locations as anchors. Linkage maps were then constructed for the four mapping parents separately. Overall map lengths were comparable between male and female parents, but the distribution of the SNPs showed sex-specific patterns with a greater degree of clustering of sire-segregating SNPs to single chromosome regions. The maps were integrated with the Atlantic salmon draft reference genome contigs, allowing the unique assignment of ~4,000 contigs to a linkage group. 112 genome contigs mapped to two or more linkage groups, highlighting regions of putative homeology within the salmon genome. A comparative genomics analysis with the stickleback reference genome identified putative genes closely linked to approximately half of the ordered SNPs and demonstrated blocks of orthology between the Atlantic salmon and stickleback genomes. A subset of 47 RAD-Seq SNPs were successfully validated using a high-throughput genotyping assay, with a correspondence of 97% between the two assays. Conclusions This Atlantic salmon RAD-Seq linkage map is a resource for salmonid genomics research as genotyping-by-sequencing becomes increasingly common. This is aided by the integration of the SbfI RAD-Seq SNPs with existing reference maps and the draft reference genome, as well

  16. The Design and Analysis of Salmonid Tagging Studies in the Columbia Basin : Volume II: Experiment Salmonid Survival with Combined PIT-CWT Tagging.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Newman, Ken

    1997-06-01

    Experiment designs to estimate the effect of transportation on survival and return rates of Columbia River system salmonids are discussed along with statistical modeling techniques. Besides transportation, river flow and dam spill are necessary components in the design and analysis otherwise questions as to the effects of reservoir drawdowns and increased dam spill may never be satisfactorily answered. Four criteria for comparing different experiment designs are: (1) feasibility, (2) clarity of results, (3) scope of inference, and (4) time to learn. In this report, alternative designs for conducting experimental manipulations of smolt tagging studies to study effects of river operationsmore » such as flow levels, spill fractions, and transporting outmigrating salmonids around dams in the Columbia River system are presented. The principles of study design discussed in this report have broad implications for the many studies proposed to investigate both smolt and adult survival relationships. The concepts are illustrated for the case of the design and analysis of smolt transportation experiments. The merits of proposed transportation studies should be measured relative to these principles of proper statistical design and analysis.« less

  17. Strategies for conserving native salmonid populations at risk from nonnative fish invasions: tradeoffs in using barriers to upstream movement

    Treesearch

    Kurt D. Fausch; Bruce E. Rieman; Michael Young; Jason B. Dunham

    2006-01-01

    Native salmonid populations in the inland West are often restricted to small isolated habitats at risk from invasion by nonnative salmonids. However, further isolating these populations using barriers to prevent invasions can increase their extinction risk. This monograph reviews the state of knowledge about this tradeoff between invasion and isolation. We present a...

  18. Piscine reovirus in wild and farmed salmonids in British Columbia, Canada: 1974-2013.

    PubMed

    Marty, G D; Morrison, D B; Bidulka, J; Joseph, T; Siah, A

    2015-08-01

    Piscine reovirus (PRV) was common among wild and farmed salmonids in British Columbia, western Canada, from 1987 to 2013. Salmonid tissues tested for PRV by real-time rRT-PCR included sections from archived paraffin blocks from 1974 to 2008 (n = 363) and fresh-frozen hearts from 2013 (n = 916). The earliest PRV-positive sample was from a wild-source steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), from 1977. By histopathology (n = 404), no fish had lesions diagnostic for heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI). In some groups, lymphohistiocytic endocarditis affected a greater proportion of fish with PRV than fish without PRV, but the range of Ct values among affected fish was within the range of Ct values among unaffected fish. Also, fish with the lowest PRV Ct values (18.4-21.7) lacked endocarditis or any other consistent lesion. From 1987 to 1994, the proportion of PRV positives was not significantly different between farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. (44% of 48), and wild-source salmonids (31% of 45). In 2013, the proportion of PRV positives was not significantly different between wild coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum), sampled from British Columbia (5.0% of 60) or the reference region, Alaska, USA (10% of 58). © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Application of neural networks to prediction of fish diversity and salmonid production in the Lake Ontario basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McKenna, James E.

    2005-01-01

    Diversity and fish productivity are important measures of the health and status of aquatic systems. Being able to predict the values of these indices as a function of environmental variables would be valuable to management. Diversity and productivity have been related to environmental conditions by multiple linear regression and discriminant analysis, but such methods have several shortcomings. In an effort to predict fish species diversity and estimate salmonid production for streams in the eastern basin of Lake Ontario, I constructed neural networks and trained them on a data set containing abiotic information and either fish diversity or juvenile salmonid abundance. Twenty percent of the original data were retained as a test data set and used in the training. The ability to extend these neural networks to conditions throughout the streams was tested with data not involved in the network training. The resulting neural networks were able to predict the number of salmonids with more than 84% accuracy and diversity with more than 73% accuracy, which was far superior to the performance of multiple regression. The networks also identified the environmental variables with the greatest predictive power, namely, those describing water movement, stream size, and water chemistry. Thirteen input variables were used to predict diversity and 17 to predict salmonid abundance.

  20. Acoustic Telemetry Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Passage and Survival at John Day Dam with Emphasis on the Prototype Surface Flow Outlet, 2008

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Weiland, Mark A.; Ploskey, Gene R.; Hughes, James S.

    The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of Top Spill Weirs installed at two spillbays at John Day Dam and evaluate the effectiveness of these surface flow outlets at attracting juvenile salmon away from the powerhouse and reducing turbine passage. The Juvenile Salmonid Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) was used to estimate survival of juvenile salmonids passing the dam and also for calculating performance metrics used to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the dam at passing juvenile salmonids.

  1. Predation by Northern Pikeminnow and tiger muskellunge on juvenile salmonids in a high–head reservoir: Implications for anadromous fish reintroductions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sorel, Mark H.; Hansen, Adam G.; Connelly, Kristin A.; Wilson, Andrew C.; Lowery, Erin D.; Beauchamp, David A.

    2016-01-01

    The feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids into reservoirs above high-head dams is affected by the suitability of the reservoir habitat for rearing and the interactions of the resident fish with introduced fish. We evaluated the predation risk to anadromous salmonids considered for reintroduction in Merwin Reservoir on the North Fork Lewis River in Washington State for two reservoir use-scenarios: year-round rearing and smolt migration. We characterized the role of the primary predators, Northern Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis and tiger muskellunge (Northern Pike Esox lucius × Muskellunge E. masquinongy), by using stable isotopes and stomach content analysis, quantified seasonal, per capita predation using bioenergetics modeling, and evaluated the size and age structures of the populations. We then combined these inputs to estimate predation rates of size-structured population units. Northern Pikeminnow of FL ≥ 300 mm were highly cannibalistic and exhibited modest, seasonal, per capita predation on salmonids, but they were disproportionately much less abundant than smaller, less piscivorous, conspecifics. The annual predation on kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka (in biomass) by a size-structured unit of 1,000 Northern Pikeminnow having a FL ≥ 300 mm was analogous to 16,000–40,000 age-0 spring Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha rearing year-round, or 400–1,000 age-1 smolts migrating April–June. The per capita consumption of salmonids by Northern Pikeminnow having a FL ≥ 200 mm was relatively low, due in large part to spatial segregation during the summer and the skewed size distribution of the predator population. Tiger muskellunge fed heavily on Northern Pikeminnow, other nonsalmonids, and minimally on salmonids. In addition to cannibalism within the Northern Pikeminnow population, predation by tiger muskellunge likely contributed to the low recruitment of larger (more piscivorous) Northern Pikeminnow, thereby decreasing the risk of predation to

  2. Development of an Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) Resource for Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

    PubMed Central

    Lazo, G. R.; Chao, S.; Hummel, D. D.; Edwards, H.; Crossman, C. C.; Lui, N.; Matthews, D. E.; Carollo, V. L.; Hane, D. L.; You, F. M.; Butler, G. E.; Miller, R. E.; Close, T. J.; Peng, J. H.; Lapitan, N. L. V.; Gustafson, J. P.; Qi, L. L.; Echalier, B.; Gill, B. S.; Dilbirligi, M.; Randhawa, H. S.; Gill, K. S.; Greene, R. A.; Sorrells, M. E.; Akhunov, E. D.; Dvořák, J.; Linkiewicz, A. M.; Dubcovsky, J.; Hossain, K. G.; Kalavacharla, V.; Kianian, S. F.; Mahmoud, A. A.; Miftahudin; Ma, X.-F.; Conley, E. J.; Anderson, J. A.; Pathan, M. S.; Nguyen, H. T.; McGuire, P. E.; Qualset, C. O.; Anderson, O. D.

    2004-01-01

    This report describes the rationale, approaches, organization, and resource development leading to a large-scale deletion bin map of the hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) wheat genome (Triticum aestivum L.). Accompanying reports in this issue detail results from chromosome bin-mapping of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) representing genes onto the seven homoeologous chromosome groups and a global analysis of the entire mapped wheat EST data set. Among the resources developed were the first extensive public wheat EST collection (113,220 ESTs). Described are protocols for sequencing, sequence processing, EST nomenclature, and the assembly of ESTs into contigs. These contigs plus singletons (unassembled ESTs) were used for selection of distinct sequence motif unigenes. Selected ESTs were rearrayed, validated by 5′ and 3′ sequencing, and amplified for probing a series of wheat aneuploid and deletion stocks. Images and data for all Southern hybridizations were deposited in databases and were used by the coordinators for each of the seven homoeologous chromosome groups to validate the mapping results. Results from this project have established the foundation for future developments in wheat genomics. PMID:15514037

  3. Non-native salmonids affect amphibian occupancy at multiple spatial scales

    Treesearch

    David S. Pilliod; Blake R. Hossack; Peter F. Bahls; Evelyn L. Bull; Paul Stephen Corn; Grant Hokit; Bryce A. Maxell; James C. Munger; Aimee Wyrick

    2010-01-01

    The introduction of non-native species into aquatic environments has been linked with local extinctions and altered distributions of native species. We investigated the effect of non-native salmonids on the occupancy of two native amphibians, the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris), across three spatial scales:...

  4. Differential invasion success of salmonids in southern Chile: patterns and hypotheses

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Arismendi, Ivan; Penaluna, Brooke E.; Dunham, Jason B.; García de Leaniz, Carlos; Soto, Doris; Fleming, Ian A.; Gomez-Uchidam, Daniel; Gajardo, Gonzalo; Vargas, Pamela V.; León-Muñoz, Jorge

    2014-01-01

    Biological invasions create complex ecological and societal issues worldwide. Most of the knowledge about invasions comes only from successful invaders, but less is known about which processes determine the differential success of invasions. In this review, we develop a framework to identify the main dimensions driving the success and failure of invaders, including human influences, characteristics of the invader, and biotic interactions. We apply this framework by contrasting hypotheses and available evidence to explain variability in invasion success for 12 salmonids introduced to Chile. The success of Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta seems to be influenced by a context-specific combination of their phenotypic plasticity, low ecosystem resistance, and propagule pressure. These well-established invaders may limit the success of subsequently introduced salmonids, with the possible exception of O. tshawytscha, which has a short freshwater residency and limited spatial overlap with trout. Although propagule pressure is high for O. kisutch and S. salar due to their intensive use in aquaculture, their lack of success in Chile may be explained by environmental resistance, including earlier spawning times than in their native ranges, and interactions with previously established and resident Rainbow Trout. Other salmonids have also failed to establish, and they exhibit a suite of ecological traits, environmental resistance, and limited propagule pressure that are variably associated with their lack of success. Collectively, understanding how the various drivers of invasion success interact may explain the differential success of invaders and provide key guidance for managing both positive and negative outcomes associated with their presence.

  5. Migratory Behavior and Survival of Juvenile Salmonids in the Lower Columbia River, Estuary, and Plume in 2010

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McMichael, Geoffrey A.; Harnish, Ryan A.; Skalski, John R.

    Uncertainty regarding the migratory behavior and survival of juvenile salmonids passing through the lower Columbia River and estuary after negotiating dams on the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) prompted the development and application of the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS). The JSATS has been used to investigate the survival of juvenile salmonid smolts between Bonneville Dam (river kilometer (rkm) 236) and the mouth of the Columbia River annually since 2004. In 2010, a total of 12,214 juvenile salmonids were implanted with both a passive integrated transponder (PIT) and a JSATS acoustic transmitter. Using detection information from JSATS receivermore » arrays deployed on dams and in the river, estuary, and plume, the survival probability of yearling Chinook salmon and steelhead smolts tagged at John Day Dam was estimated form multiple reaches between rkm 153 and 8.3 during the spring. During summer, the survival probability of subyearling Chinook salmon was estimated for the same reaches. In addition, the influence of routes of passage (e.g., surface spill, deep spill, turbine, juvenile bypass system) through the lower three dams on the Columbia River (John Day, The Dalles, and Bonneville) on juvenile salmonid smolt survival probability from the dams to rkm 153 and then between rkm 153 and 8.3 was examined to increase understanding of the immediate and latent effects of dam passage on juvenile salmon survival. Similar to previous findings, survival probability was relatively high (>0.95) for most groups of juvenile salmonids from the Bonneville Dam tailrace to about rkm 50. Downstream of rkm 50 the survival probability of all species and run types we examined decreased markedly. Steelhead smolts suffered the highest mortality in this lower portion of the Columbia River estuary, with only an estimated 60% of the tagged fish surviving to the mouth of the river. In contrast, yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon smolts survived to

  6. Cryptic flows: using multiple tracers to relate dissolved oxygen to hyporheic and groundwater flowpaths in intermittent salmonid streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woelfle-Erskine, C. A.; Larsen, L.; Gomez-Velez, J. D.

    2016-12-01

    Intermittent streams provide important habitat for aquatic species, including endangered salmonid fishes, but during prolonged dry periods may become depleted in dissolved oxygen (DO). The rate of depletion and the consequent length of time a pool remains habitable depend on DO and carbon concentrations in groundwater and hyporheic flow, and within-pool metabolic rates. We performed repeat surveys, habitat characterization, and ecohydrologic sampling on two intermittent tributaries of Salmon Creek (Sonoma Co., CA) to elucidate controls on salmonid over-summer survival at the pool scale. Pools exhibited heterogeneity within and across stream reaches in salmonid recruitment and survival during the summer dry period. In classification tree analysis, high conductivity (>310 mS/cm) and low DO (<2 ppm) were negatively associated with salmonid survival, with high pool conductivity resulting from either groundwater inflow or evapo-concentration. To distinguish between surface, hyporheic, and groundwater contributions, we measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs), radon (222Rn), and stable isotopes (18O and D) in pools, hyporheic flow, and wells and springs in local aquifers. Radon concentrations in pools ranged from 1.5-2.3 Bq/l, 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than expected for water in equilibrium with air, suggesting substantial groundwater inflow. We developed a five-component PARAFAC model from the EEMs and used with the isotope data to perform an end-member mixing analysis to track water sources and flowpaths. These analyses suggested high separability among groundwaters from aquifers separated by faults and between groundwater and surface water, with groundwater of different age and flowpath length discharging to different pools. Pools with shallow groundwater or hyporheic flow sustained DO concentrations above the threshold for salmonid survival, with shallow groundwater unexpectedly acting as a source

  7. System-Wide Significance of Predation on Juvenile Salmonids in Columbia and Snake River Reservoirs : Annual Report 1992.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Petersen, James H.; Poe, Thomas P.

    1993-12-01

    Northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) predation on juvenile salmonids was characterized during 1992 at ten locations in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and at three locations in John Day Reservoir. During the spring and summer, 1,487 northern squawfish were collected in the lower Columbia River and 202 squawfish were sampled in John Day Reservoir. Gut content data, predator weight, and water temperature were used to compute a consumption index (CI) for northern squawfish, and overall diet was also described. In the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam, northern squawfish diet was primarily fish (spring 69%; summer 53%), most of which weremore » salmonids. Salmonids were also the primary diet component in the Bonneville Dam tailrace, John Day Dam forebay, and the McNary Dam tailrace. Crustaceans were the dominant diet item at the John Day mid-reservoir location, although sample sizes were small. About half of the non-salmonid preyfish were sculpins. The consumption index (CI) of northern squawfish was generally higher during summer than during spring. The highest CI`s were observed during summer in the tailrace boat restricted zones of Bonneville Dam (CI = 7.8) and McNary Dam (CI = 4.6). At locations below Bonneville Dam, CI`s were relatively low near Covert`s Landing and Rooster Rock, higher at four locations between Blue Lake and St. Helens, and low again at three downriver sites (Kalama, Ranier, and Jones Beach). Northern squawfish catches and CI`s were noticeably higher throughout the lower Columbia compared to mid-reservoir sites further upriver sampled during 1990--92. Predation may be especially intense in the free-flowing section of the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui; N = 198) ate mostly fish -- 25% salmonids, 29% sculpins, and 46% other fish. Highest catches of smallmouth bass were in the John Day Dam forebay.« less

  8. Sex Chromosome Evolution, Heterochiasmy, and Physiological QTL in the Salmonid Brook Charr Salvelinus fontinalis

    PubMed Central

    Sutherland, Ben J.G.; Rico, Ciro; Audet, Céline; Bernatchez, Louis

    2017-01-01

    Whole-genome duplication (WGD) can have large impacts on genome evolution, and much remains unknown about these impacts. This includes the mechanisms of coping with a duplicated sex determination system and whether this has an impact on increasing the diversity of sex determination mechanisms. Other impacts include sexual conflict, where alleles having different optimums in each sex can result in sequestration of genes into nonrecombining sex chromosomes. Sex chromosome development itself may involve sex-specific recombination rate (i.e., heterochiasmy), which is also poorly understood. The family Salmonidae is a model system for these phenomena, having undergone autotetraploidization and subsequent rediploidization in most of the genome at the base of the lineage. The salmonid master sex determining gene is known, and many species have nonhomologous sex chromosomes, putatively due to transposition of this gene. In this study, we identify the sex chromosome of Brook Charr Salvelinus fontinalis and compare sex chromosome identities across the lineage (eight species and four genera). Although nonhomology is frequent, homologous sex chromosomes and other consistencies are present in distantly related species, indicating probable convergence on specific sex and neo-sex chromosomes. We also characterize strong heterochiasmy with 2.7-fold more crossovers in maternal than paternal haplotypes with paternal crossovers biased to chromosome ends. When considering only rediploidized chromosomes, the overall heterochiasmy trend remains, although with only 1.9-fold more recombination in the female than the male. Y chromosome crossovers are restricted to a single end of the chromosome, and this chromosome contains a large interspecific inversion, although its status between males and females remains unknown. Finally, we identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for 21 unique growth, reproductive, and stress-related phenotypes to improve knowledge of the genetic architecture of these

  9. Formation of Biphasic Hydroxylapatite-Beta Magnesium Tricalcium Phosphate in Heat Treated Salmonid Vertebrae.

    PubMed

    Butler, Don H; Shahack-Gross, Ruth

    2017-06-15

    Ichthyoarchaeological evidence is uncommon at ancient hunter-gatherer sites from various regions and timeframes. This research contributes to the development of microarchaeological techniques useful for identifying fishing economies in situations where classifiable bones are unavailable. Specifically, traces of heat altered bone mineral in domestic hearths are expected to provide markers for discarded fish remains. We used a series of laboratory incineration experiments to characterize the mineralogy of burned salmonid vertebrae. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction distinguished the formation of beta magnesium tricalcium phosphate (βMgTCP) at temperatures as low as 600 °C. Bones from a sample of game mammals and birds did not form this phase at temperatures below 1,000 °C. We propose that this neoformed mineral can serve as a proxy for hunter-gatherer salmonid fishing when typical ichthyoarchaeological evidence is absent. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, it will be possible to rapidly and inexpensively determine the presence of βMgTCP in fragmentary burned bone remains associated with combustion features. The occurrence of βMgTCP in archaeological hearth features will offer a new means of further evaluating the temporal, geographic, and cultural scope of salmonid harvesting. We also acknowledge the value of biphasic hydroxylapatite-βMgTCP recovered from Atlantic salmon vertebrae as a bioceramic.

  10. Generation, annotation and analysis of ESTs from Trichoderma harzianum CECT 2413

    PubMed Central

    Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; González, Francisco Javier; Suárez, M Belén; Redondo, José; Heinrich, Julian; Delgado-Jarana, Jesús; Hermosa, Rosa; Gutiérrez, Santiago; Monte, Enrique; Llobell, Antonio; Rey, Manuel

    2006-01-01

    Background The filamentous fungus Trichoderma harzianum is used as biological control agent of several plant-pathogenic fungi. In order to study the genome of this fungus, a functional genomics project called "TrichoEST" was developed to give insights into genes involved in biological control activities using an approach based on the generation of expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Results Eight different cDNA libraries from T. harzianum strain CECT 2413 were constructed. Different growth conditions involving mainly different nutrient conditions and/or stresses were used. We here present the analysis of the 8,710 ESTs generated. A total of 3,478 unique sequences were identified of which 81.4% had sequence similarity with GenBank entries, using the BLASTX algorithm. Using the Gene Ontology hierarchy, we performed the annotation of 51.1% of the unique sequences and compared its distribution among the gene libraries. Additionally, the InterProScan algorithm was used in order to further characterize the sequences. The identification of the putatively secreted proteins was also carried out. Later, based on the EST abundance, we examined the highly expressed genes and a hydrophobin was identified as the gene expressed at the highest level. We compared our collection of ESTs with the previous collections obtained from Trichoderma species and we also compared our sequence set with different complete eukaryotic genomes from several animals, plants and fungi. Accordingly, the presence of similar sequences in different kingdoms was also studied. Conclusion This EST collection and its annotation provide a significant resource for basic and applied research on T. harzianum, a fungus with a high biotechnological interest. PMID:16872539

  11. Genomics of compositae weeds: EST libraries, microarrays, and evidence of introgression

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    • Premise of Study: Weeds cause considerable environmental and economic damage. However, genomic characterization of weeds has lagged behind that of model plants and crop species. Here we report on the development of genomic tools and resources for 11 weeds from the Compositae family that can serve ...

  12. Mining SNPs from EST sequences using filters and ensemble classifiers.

    PubMed

    Wang, J; Zou, Q; Guo, M Z

    2010-05-04

    Abundant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide the most complete information for genome-wide association studies. However, due to the bottleneck of manual discovery of putative SNPs and the inaccessibility of the original sequencing reads, it is essential to develop a more efficient and accurate computational method for automated SNP detection. We propose a novel computational method to rapidly find true SNPs in public-available EST (expressed sequence tag) databases; this method is implemented as SNPDigger. EST sequences are clustered and aligned. SNP candidates are then obtained according to a measure of redundant frequency. Several new informative biological features, such as the structural neighbor profiles and the physical position of the SNP, were extracted from EST sequences, and the effectiveness of these features was demonstrated. An ensemble classifier, which employs a carefully selected feature set, was included for the imbalanced training data. The sensitivity and specificity of our method both exceeded 80% for human genetic data in the cross validation. Our method enables detection of SNPs from the user's own EST dataset and can be used on species for which there is no genome data. Our tests showed that this method can effectively guide SNP discovery in ESTs and will be useful to avoid and save the cost of biological analyses.

  13. Genome-wide association studies reveal similar genetic architecture with shared and unique QTL for Bacterial Cold Water Disease resistance in two rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) breeding populations

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant mortality and economic losses in salmonid aquaculture. In previous studies, we identified moderate-large effect QTL for BCWD resistance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). However, the recent availability of a 57K SNP array and a genome phys...

  14. Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida strains isolated from Chinese freshwater fish contain a novel genomic island and possible regional-specific mobile genetic elements profiles.

    PubMed

    Long, Meng; Nielsen, Tue K; Leisner, Jørgen J; Hansen, Lars H; Shen, Zhi X; Zhang, Qian Q; Li, Aihua

    2016-09-01

    Two strains of Aeromonas salmonicida, YK and BG, were isolated from largemouth bronze gudgeon and northern whitefish in China, and identified as A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida based on phylogenetic analysis of vapA and 16S rRNA gene sequences. YK and BG originated from freshwater fish, one of which belonged to the cyprinid family, and the strains showed a difference in virulence. Subsequently, we performed whole genome sequencing of the strains, and comparison of their genomic sequences to the genome of the A449 reference strain revealed various genomic rearrangements, including a new variant of the genomic island AsaGEI in BG, designated as AsaGEI2c This is the first report on a GEI of A. salmonicida strain from China. Furthermore, both YK and BG strains contained a Tn7 transposon inserted at the same position in the chromosome. Finally, IS-dependent rearrangements on pAsa5 are deemed likely to have occurred, with omission of the resD gene in both strains as well as omission of genes related to the IncF conjugal transfer system in the YK isolate. This study demonstrates that A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida can infect non-salmonids (cyprinids) in addition to salmonids, and that AsaGEI2c might be useful as a geographical indicator of Chinese A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida isolates. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Prediction of EST functional relationships via literature mining with user-specified parameters.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hei-Chia; Huang, Tian-Hsiang

    2009-04-01

    The massive amount of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) gathered over recent years has triggered great interest in efficient applications for genomic research. In particular, EST functional relationships can be used to determine a possible gene network for biological processes of interest. In recent years, many researchers have tried to determine EST functional relationships by analyzing the biological literature. However, it has been challenging to find efficient prediction methods. Moreover, an annotated EST is usually associated with many functions, so successful methods must be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant functions based on user specifications. This paper proposes a method to discover functional relationships between ESTs of interest by analyzing literature from the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, with user-specified parameters for selecting keywords. This method performs better than the multiple kernel documents method in setting up a specific threshold for gathering materials. The method is also able to uncover known functional relationships, as shown by a comparison with the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database. The reliable EST relationships predicted by the proposed method can help to construct gene networks for specific biological functions of interest.

  16. Update of the Diatom EST Database: a new tool for digital transcriptomics

    PubMed Central

    Maheswari, Uma; Mock, Thomas; Armbrust, E. Virginia; Bowler, Chris

    2009-01-01

    The Diatom Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) Database was constructed to provide integral access to ESTs from these ecologically and evolutionarily interesting microalgae. It has now been updated with 130 000 Phaeodactylum tricornutum ESTs from 16 cDNA libraries and 77 000 Thalassiosira pseudonana ESTs from seven libraries, derived from cells grown in different nutrient and stress regimes. The updated relational database incorporates results from statistical analyses such as log-likelihood ratios and hierarchical clustering, which help to identify differentially expressed genes under different conditions, and allow similarities in gene expression in different libraries to be investigated in a functional context. The database also incorporates links to the recently sequenced genomes of P. tricornutum and T. pseudonana, enabling an easy cross-talk between the expression pattern of diatom orthologs and the genome browsers. These improvements will facilitate exploration of diatom responses to conditions of ecological relevance and will aid gene function identification of diatom-specific genes and in silico gene prediction in this largely unexplored class of eukaryotes. The updated Diatom EST Database is available at http://www.biologie.ens.fr/diatomics/EST3. PMID:19029140

  17. Comparison of growth and metabolic regulation between wild, domesticated and transgenic salmonids.

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    To gain a better understanding of the aspects underlying normal and growth hormone enhanced growth in salmonids, quantitative expression analysis was performed for a number of genes related to muscle growth, metabolism, immunology and energy regulation. This analysis was performed in liver and musc...

  18. A permeability study on salmonid spawning areas in northern Humboldt County, California

    Treesearch

    Claire Knopf

    2012-01-01

    This research was conducted to determine if local salmonid, specifically coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha), and the steelhead trout (O. mykiss), redd location is dependent upon the permeability of the streambed. The study took place at four study sites in two coastal...

  19. How do we know how many salmon returned to spawn? Implementing the California Coastal salmonid monitoring plan in Mendocino County, California

    Treesearch

    Sean P. Gallagher; David W. Wright

    2012-01-01

    California's coastal salmon and steelhead populations are listed under California and Federal Endangered Species Acts; both require monitoring to provide measures of recovery. Since 2004 the California Department of Fish and Game and NOAA Fisheries have been developing a monitoring plan for California¡¯s coastal salmonids (the California Coastal Salmonid...

  20. Comparative mapping in the Fagaceae and beyond with EST-SSRs

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Genetic markers and linkage mapping are basic prerequisites for comparative genetic analyses, QTL detection and map-based cloning. A large number of mapping populations have been developed for oak, but few gene-based markers are available for constructing integrated genetic linkage maps and comparing gene order and QTL location across related species. Results We developed a set of 573 expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeats (EST-SSRs) and located 397 markers (EST-SSRs and genomic SSRs) on the 12 oak chromosomes (2n = 2x = 24) on the basis of Mendelian segregation patterns in 5 full-sib mapping pedigrees of two species: Quercus robur (pedunculate oak) and Quercus petraea (sessile oak). Consensus maps for the two species were constructed and aligned. They showed a high degree of macrosynteny between these two sympatric European oaks. We assessed the transferability of EST-SSRs to other Fagaceae genera and a subset of these markers was mapped in Castanea sativa, the European chestnut. Reasonably high levels of macrosynteny were observed between oak and chestnut. We also obtained diversity statistics for a subset of EST-SSRs, to support further population genetic analyses with gene-based markers. Finally, based on the orthologous relationships between the oak, Arabidopsis, grape, poplar, Medicago, and soybean genomes and the paralogous relationships between the 12 oak chromosomes, we propose an evolutionary scenario of the 12 oak chromosomes from the eudicot ancestral karyotype. Conclusions This study provides map locations for a large set of EST-SSRs in two oak species of recognized biological importance in natural ecosystems. This first step toward the construction of a gene-based linkage map will facilitate the assignment of future genome scaffolds to pseudo-chromosomes. This study also provides an indication of the potential utility of new gene-based markers for population genetics and comparative mapping within and beyond the

  1. Sluiceway Operations to Pass Juvenile Salmonids at The Dalles Dam, Columbia River, USA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, Gary E.; Khan, Fenton; Skalski, J. R.

    Existing ice and trash sluiceways are commonly used to pass juvenile salmonids downstream at hydropower dams through a benign, non-turbine route. At The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River, managers undertook optimizing operations of sluiceway weirs to maximize survival of juvenile salmonids at the powerhouse. We applied fixed-location hydroacoustic methods to compare fish passage rates and sluiceway efficiencies for two weir configurations during 2004 and 2005: three weirs versus six weirs, located at the mid- versus east powerhouse, respectively. We also analyzed horizontal distributions of passage at the sluiceway and turbines and the effects of operating turbines beneath open sluicewaymore » gates to provide supporting data relevant to operations optimization. Based on the findings, we recommend the following for long-term operations for the sluiceway at The Dalles Dam: open six rather than three sluiceway weirs to take advantage of the maximum hydraulic capacity of the sluiceway; open the three weirs above the western-most operating main turbine unit (MU) and the three weirs at MU 8 where turbine passage rates are relatively high; operate the turbine units below open sluiceway weirs as a standard procedure; operate the sluiceway 24 h/d year-round to maximize its benefits to juvenile salmonids; and use the same operations for spring and summer emigrants. These operational concepts are transferable to dams where sluiceway surface flow outlets are used protect downstream migrating fishes.« less

  2. Comparing stream-specific to generalized temperature models to guide salmonid management in a changing climate

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Andrew K. Carlson,; William W. Taylor,; Hartikainen, Kelsey M.; Dana M. Infante,; Beard, Douglas; Lynch, Abigail

    2017-01-01

    Global climate change is predicted to increase air and stream temperatures and alter thermal habitat suitability for growth and survival of coldwater fishes, including brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In a changing climate, accurate stream temperature modeling is increasingly important for sustainable salmonid management throughout the world. However, finite resource availability (e.g. funding, personnel) drives a tradeoff between thermal model accuracy and efficiency (i.e. cost-effective applicability at management-relevant spatial extents). Using different projected climate change scenarios, we compared the accuracy and efficiency of stream-specific and generalized (i.e. region-specific) temperature models for coldwater salmonids within and outside the State of Michigan, USA, a region with long-term stream temperature data and productive coldwater fisheries. Projected stream temperature warming between 2016 and 2056 ranged from 0.1 to 3.8 °C in groundwater-dominated streams and 0.2–6.8 °C in surface-runoff dominated systems in the State of Michigan. Despite their generally lower accuracy in predicting exact stream temperatures, generalized models accurately projected salmonid thermal habitat suitability in 82% of groundwater-dominated streams, including those with brook charr (80% accuracy), brown trout (89% accuracy), and rainbow trout (75% accuracy). In contrast, generalized models predicted thermal habitat suitability in runoff-dominated streams with much lower accuracy (54%). These results suggest that, amidst climate change and constraints in resource availability, generalized models are appropriate to forecast thermal conditions in groundwater-dominated streams within and outside Michigan and inform regional-level salmonid management strategies that are practical for coldwater fisheries managers, policy makers, and the public. We recommend fisheries professionals reserve resource

  3. Exploiting rice-sorghum synteny for targeted development of EST-SSRs to enrich the sorghum genetic linkage map.

    PubMed

    Ramu, P; Kassahun, B; Senthilvel, S; Ashok Kumar, C; Jayashree, B; Folkertsma, R T; Reddy, L Ananda; Kuruvinashetti, M S; Haussmann, B I G; Hash, C T

    2009-11-01

    The sequencing and detailed comparative functional analysis of genomes of a number of select botanical models open new doors into comparative genomics among the angiosperms, with potential benefits for improvement of many orphan crops that feed large populations. In this study, a set of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers was developed by mining the expressed sequence tag (EST) database of sorghum. Among the SSR-containing sequences, only those sharing considerable homology with rice genomic sequences across the lengths of the 12 rice chromosomes were selected. Thus, 600 SSR-containing sorghum EST sequences (50 homologous sequences on each of the 12 rice chromosomes) were selected, with the intention of providing coverage for corresponding homologous regions of the sorghum genome. Primer pairs were designed and polymorphism detection ability was assessed using parental pairs of two existing sorghum mapping populations. About 28% of these new markers detected polymorphism in this 4-entry panel. A subset of 55 polymorphic EST-derived SSR markers were mapped onto the existing skeleton map of a recombinant inbred population derived from cross N13 x E 36-1, which is segregating for Striga resistance and the stay-green component of terminal drought tolerance. These new EST-derived SSR markers mapped across all 10 sorghum linkage groups, mostly to regions expected based on prior knowledge of rice-sorghum synteny. The ESTs from which these markers were derived were then mapped in silico onto the aligned sorghum genome sequence, and 88% of the best hits corresponded to linkage-based positions. This study demonstrates the utility of comparative genomic information in targeted development of markers to fill gaps in linkage maps of related crop species for which sufficient genomic tools are not available.

  4. DEVELOPMENT OF FIELD-BASED EMPIRICAL MODELS OF SUITABLE TEMPERATURE REGIMES FOR INTERIOR SALMONIDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Interior salmonids are species of growing interest and concern in the Pacific Northwest. Evidence of population declines associated with habitat loss and fragmentation have culminate in every species being listed, or proposed or petitioned for listing under he Endangered Species...

  5. A Synthesis of Tagging Studies Examining the Behaviour and Survival of Anadromous Salmonids in Marine Environments

    PubMed Central

    Drenner, S. Matthew; Clark, Timothy D.; Whitney, Charlotte K.; Martins, Eduardo G.; Cooke, Steven J.; Hinch, Scott G.

    2012-01-01

    This paper synthesizes tagging studies to highlight the current state of knowledge concerning the behaviour and survival of anadromous salmonids in the marine environment. Scientific literature was reviewed to quantify the number and type of studies that have investigated behaviour and survival of anadromous forms of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), brown trout (Salmo trutta), steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii). We examined three categories of tags including electronic (e.g. acoustic, radio, archival), passive (e.g. external marks, Carlin, coded wire, passive integrated transponder [PIT]), and biological (e.g. otolith, genetic, scale, parasites). Based on 207 papers, survival rates and behaviour in marine environments were found to be extremely variable spatially and temporally, with some of the most influential factors being temperature, population, physiological state, and fish size. Salmonids at all life stages were consistently found to swim at an average speed of approximately one body length per second, which likely corresponds with the speed at which transport costs are minimal. We found that there is relatively little research conducted on open-ocean migrating salmonids, and some species (e.g. masu [O. masou] and amago [O. rhodurus]) are underrepresented in the literature. The most common forms of tagging used across life stages were various forms of external tags, coded wire tags, and acoustic tags, however, the majority of studies did not measure tagging/handling effects on the fish, tag loss/failure, or tag detection probabilities when estimating survival. Through the interdisciplinary application of existing and novel technologies, future research examining the behaviour and survival of anadromous salmonids could incorporate important drivers such as oceanography, tagging/handling effects, predation, and physiology. PMID:22431962

  6. A synthesis of tagging studies examining the behaviour and survival of anadromous salmonids in marine environments.

    PubMed

    Drenner, S Matthew; Clark, Timothy D; Whitney, Charlotte K; Martins, Eduardo G; Cooke, Steven J; Hinch, Scott G

    2012-01-01

    This paper synthesizes tagging studies to highlight the current state of knowledge concerning the behaviour and survival of anadromous salmonids in the marine environment. Scientific literature was reviewed to quantify the number and type of studies that have investigated behaviour and survival of anadromous forms of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), brown trout (Salmo trutta), steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii). We examined three categories of tags including electronic (e.g. acoustic, radio, archival), passive (e.g. external marks, Carlin, coded wire, passive integrated transponder [PIT]), and biological (e.g. otolith, genetic, scale, parasites). Based on 207 papers, survival rates and behaviour in marine environments were found to be extremely variable spatially and temporally, with some of the most influential factors being temperature, population, physiological state, and fish size. Salmonids at all life stages were consistently found to swim at an average speed of approximately one body length per second, which likely corresponds with the speed at which transport costs are minimal. We found that there is relatively little research conducted on open-ocean migrating salmonids, and some species (e.g. masu [O. masou] and amago [O. rhodurus]) are underrepresented in the literature. The most common forms of tagging used across life stages were various forms of external tags, coded wire tags, and acoustic tags, however, the majority of studies did not measure tagging/handling effects on the fish, tag loss/failure, or tag detection probabilities when estimating survival. Through the interdisciplinary application of existing and novel technologies, future research examining the behaviour and survival of anadromous salmonids could incorporate important drivers such as oceanography, tagging/handling effects, predation, and physiology.

  7. Antimicrobial and host cell-directed activities of Gly/Ser-rich peptides from salmonid cathelicidins.

    PubMed

    D'Este, Francesca; Benincasa, Monica; Cannone, Giuseppe; Furlan, Michela; Scarsini, Michele; Volpatti, Donatella; Gennaro, Renato; Tossi, Alessandro; Skerlavaj, Barbara; Scocchi, Marco

    2016-12-01

    Cathelicidins, a major family of vertebrate antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), have a recognized role in the first line of defense against infections. They have been identified in several salmonid species, where the putative mature peptides are unusually long and rich in serine and glycine residues, often arranged in short multiple repeats (RLGGGS/RPGGGS) intercalated by hydrophobic motifs. Fragments of 24-40 residues, spanning specific motifs and conserved sequences in grayling or brown, rainbow and brook trout, were chemically synthesized and examined for antimicrobial activity against relevant Gram-positive and Gram-negative salmonid pathogens, as well as laboratory reference strains. They were not active in complete medium, but showed varying potency and activity spectra in diluted media. Bacterial membrane permeabilization also occurred only under these conditions and was indicated by rapid propidium iodide uptake in peptide-treated bacteria. However, circular dichroism analyses indicated that they did not significantly adopt ordered conformations in membrane-like environments. The peptides were not hemolytic or cytotoxic to trout cells, including freshly purified head kidney leukocytes (HKL) and the fibroblastic RTG-2 cell line. Notably, when exposed to them, HKL showed increased metabolic activity, while a growth-promoting effect was observed on RTG-2 cells, suggesting a functional interaction of salmonid cathelicidins with host cells similar to that shown by mammalian ones. The three most active peptides produced a dose-dependent increase in phagocytic uptake by HKL simultaneously stimulated with bacterial particles. The peptide STF(1-37), selected for further analyses, also enhanced phagocytic uptake in the presence of autologous serum, and increased intracellular killing of live E. coli. Furthermore, when tested on HKL in combination with the immunostimulant β-glucan, it synergistically potentiated both phagocytic uptake and the respiratory burst response

  8. SalmonDB: a bioinformatics resource for Salmo salar and Oncorhynchus mykiss

    PubMed Central

    Di Génova, Alex; Aravena, Andrés; Zapata, Luis; González, Mauricio; Maass, Alejandro; Iturra, Patricia

    2011-01-01

    SalmonDB is a new multiorganism database containing EST sequences from Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus mykiss and the whole genome sequence of Danio rerio, Gasterosteus aculeatus, Tetraodon nigroviridis, Oryzias latipes and Takifugu rubripes, built with core components from GMOD project, GOPArc system and the BioMart project. The information provided by this resource includes Gene Ontology terms, metabolic pathways, SNP prediction, CDS prediction, orthologs prediction, several precalculated BLAST searches and domains. It also provides a BLAST server for matching user-provided sequences to any of the databases and an advanced query tool (BioMart) that allows easy browsing of EST databases with user-defined criteria. These tools make SalmonDB database a valuable resource for researchers searching for transcripts and genomic information regarding S. salar and other salmonid species. The database is expected to grow in the near feature, particularly with the S. salar genome sequencing project. Database URL: http://genomicasalmones.dim.uchile.cl/ PMID:22120661

  9. SalmonDB: a bioinformatics resource for Salmo salar and Oncorhynchus mykiss.

    PubMed

    Di Génova, Alex; Aravena, Andrés; Zapata, Luis; González, Mauricio; Maass, Alejandro; Iturra, Patricia

    2011-01-01

    SalmonDB is a new multiorganism database containing EST sequences from Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus mykiss and the whole genome sequence of Danio rerio, Gasterosteus aculeatus, Tetraodon nigroviridis, Oryzias latipes and Takifugu rubripes, built with core components from GMOD project, GOPArc system and the BioMart project. The information provided by this resource includes Gene Ontology terms, metabolic pathways, SNP prediction, CDS prediction, orthologs prediction, several precalculated BLAST searches and domains. It also provides a BLAST server for matching user-provided sequences to any of the databases and an advanced query tool (BioMart) that allows easy browsing of EST databases with user-defined criteria. These tools make SalmonDB database a valuable resource for researchers searching for transcripts and genomic information regarding S. salar and other salmonid species. The database is expected to grow in the near feature, particularly with the S. salar genome sequencing project. Database URL: http://genomicasalmones.dim.uchile.cl/

  10. Prevalence of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) in wild salmonids in western Norway.

    PubMed

    Plarre, H; Devold, M; Snow, M; Nylund, A

    2005-08-09

    Studies of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), an important pathogen of farmed salmon in Norway, Scotland, the Faeroe Islands, Ireland, Canada, the USA and Chile, suggest that natural reservoirs for this virus can be found on both sides of the North Atlantic. Based on existing information about ISAV it is believed to be maintained in wild populations of trout and salmon in Europe. It has further been suggested that ISAV is transmitted between wild hosts, mainly during their freshwater spawning phase in rivers, and that wild salmonids, mainly trout, are possible carriers of benign wild-type variants of ISAV. Change in virulence is probably a result of deletions of amino acid segments from the highly polymorphic region (HPR) of benign wild-type isolates after transmission to farmed salmon. Hence, it has been suggested that the frequency of new outbreaks of ISA in farmed salmon could partly reflect natural variation in the prevalence of ISAV in wild populations of salmonids. The aims of the present study were to screen for ISAV in wild salmonids during spawning in rivers and to determine the pathogenicity of resultant isolates from wild fish. Tissues from wild salmonids were screened by RT-PCR and real-time PCR. The prevalence of ISAV in wild trout Salmo trutta varied from 62 to 100% between tested rivers in 2001. The prevalence dropped in 2002, ranging from 13 to 36% in the same rivers and to only 6% in 2003. All ISAV were nonpathogenic when injected into disease-free Atlantic salmon, but were capable of propagation, as indicated by subsequent viral recovery. However, non-pathogenic ISAV has also been found in farmed salmon, where a prevalence as high as 60% has been registered, but with no mortalities occurring. Based on the results of the present and other studies, it must be concluded that vital information about the importance of wild and man-made reservoirs for the emergence of ISA in salmon farming is still lacking. This information can only be gained by

  11. Sputnik: a database platform for comparative plant genomics.

    PubMed

    Rudd, Stephen; Mewes, Hans-Werner; Mayer, Klaus F X

    2003-01-01

    Two million plant ESTs, from 20 different plant species, and totalling more than one 1000 Mbp of DNA sequence, represents a formidable transcriptomic resource. Sputnik uses the potential of this sequence resource to fill some of the information gap in the un-sequenced plant genomes and to serve as the foundation for in silicio comparative plant genomics. The complexity of the individual EST collections has been reduced using optimised EST clustering techniques. Annotation of cluster sequences is performed by exploiting and transferring information from the comprehensive knowledgebase already produced for the completed model plant genome (Arabidopsis thaliana) and by performing additional state of-the-art sequence analyses relevant to today's plant biologist. Functional predictions, comparative analyses and associative annotations for 500 000 plant EST derived peptides make Sputnik (http://mips.gsf.de/proj/sputnik/) a valid platform for contemporary plant genomics.

  12. Sputnik: a database platform for comparative plant genomics

    PubMed Central

    Rudd, Stephen; Mewes, Hans-Werner; Mayer, Klaus F.X.

    2003-01-01

    Two million plant ESTs, from 20 different plant species, and totalling more than one 1000 Mbp of DNA sequence, represents a formidable transcriptomic resource. Sputnik uses the potential of this sequence resource to fill some of the information gap in the un-sequenced plant genomes and to serve as the foundation for in silicio comparative plant genomics. The complexity of the individual EST collections has been reduced using optimised EST clustering techniques. Annotation of cluster sequences is performed by exploiting and transferring information from the comprehensive knowledgebase already produced for the completed model plant genome (Arabidopsis thaliana) and by performing additional state of-the-art sequence analyses relevant to today's plant biologist. Functional predictions, comparative analyses and associative annotations for 500 000 plant EST derived peptides make Sputnik (http://mips.gsf.de/proj/sputnik/) a valid platform for contemporary plant genomics. PMID:12519965

  13. Persistence of Salmonid Redds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buffington, J. M.; Buxton, T.; Fremier, A. K.; Hassan, M. A.; Yager, E.

    2013-12-01

    The construction of redds by spawning salmonids modifies fluvial processes in ways that are beneficial to egg and embryo survival. Redd topography induces hyporheic flow that oxygenates embryos incubating within the streambed and creates form drag that reduces bed mobility and scour of salmonid eggs. Winnowing of fine material during redd construction also coarsens the streambed, increasing bed porosity and hyporheic flow and reducing bed mobility. In addition to the biological benefits, redds may influence channel morphology by altering channel hydraulics and bed load transport rates depending on the size and extent of redds relative to the size of the channel. A key question is how long do the physical and biological effects of redds last? Field observations indicate that in some basins redds are ephemeral, with redd topography rapidly erased by subsequent floods, while in other basins, redds can persist for years. We hypothesize that redd persistence is a function of basin hydrology, sediment supply, and characteristics of the spawning fish. Hydrology controls the frequency and magnitude of bed mobilizing flows following spawning, while bed load supply (volume and caliber) controls the degree of textural fining and consequent bed mobility after spawning, as well as the potential for burial of redd features. The effectiveness of flows in terms of their magnitude and duration depend on hydroclimate (i.e., snowmelt, rainfall, or transitional hydrographs), while bed load supply depends on basin geology, land use, and natural disturbance regimes (e.g., wildfire). Location within the stream network may also influence redd persistence. In particular, lakes effectively trap sediment and regulate downstream flow, which may promote long-lived redds in stream reaches below lakes. These geomorphic controls are modulated by biological factors: fish species (size of fish controls size of redds and magnitude of streambed coarsening); life history (timing of spawning and

  14. An approach to effectiveness monitoring of floodplain channel aquatic habitat: salmonid relationships.

    Treesearch

    M.D. Bryant; R.T. Edwards; R.D. Woodsmith

    2005-01-01

    Rivers and streams that support anadromous salmonids are an important part of land management planning in southeastern Alaska and the Pacific Northwest of North America. Land managers and planners require a consistent set of protocols that include both the physical and biological aspects of the stream for effectiveness monitoring procedures to evaluate management...

  15. A simple method for in situ monitoring of water temperature in substrates used by spawning salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zimmerman, Christian E.; Finn, James E.

    2012-01-01

    Interstitial water temperature within spawning habitats of salmonids may differ from surface-water temperature depending on intragravel flow paths, geomorphic setting, or presence of groundwater. Because survival and developmental timing of salmon are partly controlled by temperature, monitoring temperature within gravels used by spawning salmonids is required to adequately describe the environment experienced by incubating eggs and embryos. Here we describe a simple method of deploying electronic data loggers within gravel substrates with minimal alteration of the natural gravel structure and composition. Using data collected in spawning sites used by summer and fall chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta from two streams within the Yukon River watershed, we compare contrasting thermal regimes to demonstrate the utility of this method.

  16. The role of emergent wetlands as potential rearing habitats for juvenile salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Henning, Julie A.; Gresswell, Robert E.; Flemming, Ian A.

    2006-01-01

    A recent trend of enhancing freshwater emergent wetlands for waterfowl and other wildlife has raised concern about the effects of such measures on juvenile salmonids. We undertook this study to quantify the degree and extent of juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. utilization of enhanced and unenhanced emergent wetlands within the floodplain of the lower Chehalis River, Washington, and to determine the fate of the salmon using them. Enhanced emergent wetlands contained water control structures that provided an outlet for fish emigration and a longer hydroperiod for rearing than unenhanced wetlands. Age-0 and age-1 coho salmon O. kisutch were the most common salmonid at all sites, enhanced wetlands having significantly higher age-1 abundance than unenhanced wetlands that were a similar distance from the main-stem river. Yearling coho salmon benefited from rearing in two enhanced wetland habitats, where their specific growth rate and minimum estimates of survival (1.43%/d by weight and 30%; 1.37%/d and 57%) were comparable to those in other side-channel rearing studies. Dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased in emergent wetlands throughout the season and approached the limits lethal to juvenile salmon by May or June each year. Emigration patterns suggested that age-0 and age-1 coho salmon emigrated as habitat conditions declined. This observation was further supported by the results of an experimental release of coho salmon. Survival of fish utilizing emergent wetlands was dependent on movement to the river before water quality decreased or stranding occurred from wetland desiccation. Thus, our results suggest that enhancing freshwater wetlands via water control structures can benefit juvenile salmonids, at least in the short term, by providing conditions for greater growth, survival, and emigration.

  17. Juvenile salmonid monitoring in the White Salmon River, Washington, post-Condit Dam removal, 2016

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jezorek, Ian G.; Hardiman, Jill M.

    2017-06-23

    Condit Dam, at river kilometer 5.3 on the White Salmon River, Washington, was breached in 2011 and removed completely in 2012, allowing anadromous salmonids access to habitat that had been blocked for nearly 100 years. A multi-agency workgroup concluded that the preferred salmonid restoration alternative was natural recolonization with monitoring to assess efficacy, followed by a management evaluation 5 years after dam removal. Limited monitoring of salmon and steelhead spawning has occurred since 2011, but no monitoring of juveniles occurred until 2016. During 2016, we operated a rotary screw trap at river kilometer 2.3 (3 kilometers downstream of the former dam site) from late March through May and used backpack electrofishing during summer to assess juvenile salmonid distribution and abundance. The screw trap captured primarily steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss; smolts, parr, and fry) and coho salmon (O. kisutch; smolts and fry). We estimated the number of steelhead smolts at 3,851 (standard error = 1,454) and coho smolts at 1,093 (standard error = 412). In this document, we refer to O. mykiss caught at the screw trap as steelhead because they were actively migrating, but because we did not know migratory status of O. mykiss caught in electrofishing surveys, we simply refer to them as O. mykiss or steelhead/rainbow trout. Steelhead and coho smolts tagged with passive integrated transponder tags were subsequently detected downstream at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Few Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) fry were captured, possibly as a result of trap location or effects of a December 2015 flood. Sampling in Mill, Buck, and Rattlesnake Creeks (all upstream of the former dam site) showed that juvenile coho were present in Mill and Buck Creeks, suggesting spawning had occurred there. We compared O. mykiss abundance data in sites on Buck and Rattlesnake Creeks to pre-dam removal data. During 2016, age-0 O. mykiss were more abundant in Buck Creek than in 2009 or

  18. Synteny conservation between the Prunus genome and both the present and ancestral Arabidopsis genomes

    PubMed Central

    Jung, Sook; Main, Dorrie; Staton, Margaret; Cho, Ilhyung; Zhebentyayeva, Tatyana; Arús, Pere; Abbott, Albert

    2006-01-01

    Background Due to the lack of availability of large genomic sequences for peach or other Prunus species, the degree of synteny conservation between the Prunus species and Arabidopsis has not been systematically assessed. Using the recently available peach EST sequences that are anchored to Prunus genetic maps and to peach physical map, we analyzed the extent of conserved synteny between the Prunus and the Arabidopsis genomes. The reconstructed pseudo-ancestral Arabidopsis genome, existed prior to the proposed recent polyploidy event, was also utilized in our analysis to further elucidate the evolutionary relationship. Results We analyzed the synteny conservation between the Prunus and the Arabidopsis genomes by comparing 475 peach ESTs that are anchored to Prunus genetic maps and their Arabidopsis homologs detected by sequence similarity. Microsyntenic regions were detected between all five Arabidopsis chromosomes and seven of the eight linkage groups of the Prunus reference map. An additional 1097 peach ESTs that are anchored to 431 BAC contigs of the peach physical map and their Arabidopsis homologs were also analyzed. Microsyntenic regions were detected in 77 BAC contigs. The syntenic regions from both data sets were short and contained only a couple of conserved gene pairs. The synteny between peach and Arabidopsis was fragmentary; all the Prunus linkage groups containing syntenic regions matched to more than two different Arabidopsis chromosomes, and most BAC contigs with multiple conserved syntenic regions corresponded to multiple Arabidopsis chromosomes. Using the same peach EST datasets and their Arabidopsis homologs, we also detected conserved syntenic regions in the pseudo-ancestral Arabidopsis genome. In many cases, the gene order and content of peach regions was more conserved in the ancestral genome than in the present Arabidopsis region. Statistical significance of each syntenic group was calculated using simulated Arabidopsis genome. Conclusion We

  19. Tolerance of developing salmonid eggs and fry to nitrate exposure

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kincheloe, John W.; Wedemeyer, Gary A.; Koch, David L.

    1979-01-01

    This paper reports on tests which show significant effects on early salmonid life stages of nitrates at levels commonly found in groundwaters in geographical areas that are influenced by fertilizer application. It has long been known, from fish cultural experience, that in certain site specific locations, chronic problems can be expected with salmonid egg development and early fry mortality. However, fingerlings which survive usually grow normally. A complete explanation is lacking although several environmental factors have been proposed to account for this phenomenon. One, which has so far received little attention, is that nitrate levels in the ground and surface waters of many areas have been increasing significantly over historical background levels. Ammonia, urea, and other potential sources of nitrate can enter natural waters from a variety of sources, such as domestic or industrial sewage, animal feedlots, or seepage and return flows from agricultural lands. The latter may be the largest contributor, since billions of tons of nitrate fertilizers are applied to agricultural crops on a worldwide basis each year. In addition, intensive forest management techniques include the aerial application of nitrate fertilizer to increase the yield of wood products, while range management practices call for use of nitrates to increase forage production. The nitrate that is not taken up by plants ultimately appears in ground or surface waters.

  20. The potential impacts of migratory difficulty, including warmer waters and altered flow conditions, on the reproductive success of salmonid fishes.

    PubMed

    Fenkes, Miriam; Shiels, Holly A; Fitzpatrick, John L; Nudds, Robert L

    2016-03-01

    Climate change and urbanisation of watercourses affect water temperatures and current flow velocities in river systems on a global scale. This represents a particularly critical issue for migratory fish species with complex life histories that use rivers to reproduce. Salmonids are migratory keystone species that provide substantial economical value to ecosystems and human societies. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of environmental stressors on their reproductive success is critical in order to ensure their continued abundance during future climatic change. Salmonids are capital breeders, relying entirely on endogenous energy stores to fuel return migration to their natal spawning sites and reproduction upon arrival. Metabolic rates and cost of transport en-route increase with temperature and at extreme temperatures, swimming is increasingly fuelled anaerobically, resulting in an oxygen debt and reduced capacity to recover from exhaustive exercise. Thermally challenged salmonids also produce less viable gametes, which themselves are affected by water temperature after release. Passage through hydrological barriers and temperature changes both affect energy expenditure. As a result, important energetic tradeoffs emerge between extra energy used during migration and that available for other facets of the reproductive cycle, such as reproductive competition and gamete production. However, studies identifying these tradeoffs are extremely sparse. This review focuses on the specific locomotor responses of salmonids to thermal and hydrological challenges, identifying gaps in our knowledge and highlighting the potential implications for key aspects of their reproduction. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The potential impacts of migratory difficulty, including warmer waters and altered flow conditions, on the reproductive success of salmonid fishes

    PubMed Central

    Fenkes, Miriam; Shiels, Holly A.; Fitzpatrick, John L.; Nudds, Robert L.

    2016-01-01

    Climate change and urbanisation of watercourses affect water temperatures and current flow velocities in river systems on a global scale. This represents a particularly critical issue for migratory fish species with complex life histories that use rivers to reproduce. Salmonids are migratory keystone species that provide substantial economical value to ecosystems and human societies. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of environmental stressors on their reproductive success is critical in order to ensure their continued abundance during future climatic change. Salmonids are capital breeders, relying entirely on endogenous energy stores to fuel return migration to their natal spawning sites and reproduction upon arrival. Metabolic rates and cost of transport en-route increase with temperature and at extreme temperatures, swimming is increasingly fuelled anaerobically, resulting in an oxygen debt and reduced capacity to recover from exhaustive exercise. Thermally challenged salmonids also produce less viable gametes, which themselves are affected by water temperature after release. Passage through hydrological barriers and temperature changes both affect energy expenditure. As a result, important energetic tradeoffs emerge between extra energy used during migration and that available for other facets of the reproductive cycle, such as reproductive competition and gamete production. However, studies identifying these tradeoffs are extremely sparse. This review focuses on the specific locomotor responses of salmonids to thermal and hydrological challenges, identifying gaps in our knowledge and highlighting the potential implications for key aspects of their reproduction. PMID:26603555

  2. A maize map standard with sequenced core markers, grass genome reference points and 932 expressed sequence tagged sites (ESTs) in a 1736-locus map.

    PubMed Central

    Davis, G L; McMullen, M D; Baysdorfer, C; Musket, T; Grant, D; Staebell, M; Xu, G; Polacco, M; Koster, L; Melia-Hancock, S; Houchins, K; Chao, S; Coe, E H

    1999-01-01

    We have constructed a 1736-locus maize genome map containing1156 loci probed by cDNAs, 545 probed by random genomic clones, 16 by simple sequence repeats (SSRs), 14 by isozymes, and 5 by anonymous clones. Sequence information is available for 56% of the loci with 66% of the sequenced loci assigned functions. A total of 596 new ESTs were mapped from a B73 library of 5-wk-old shoots. The map contains 237 loci probed by barley, oat, wheat, rice, or tripsacum clones, which serve as grass genome reference points in comparisons between maize and other grass maps. Ninety core markers selected for low copy number, high polymorphism, and even spacing along the chromosome delineate the 100 bins on the map. The average bin size is 17 cM. Use of bin assignments enables comparison among different maize mapping populations and experiments including those involving cytogenetic stocks, mutants, or quantitative trait loci. Integration of nonmaize markers in the map extends the resources available for gene discovery beyond the boundaries of maize mapping information into the expanse of map, sequence, and phenotype information from other grass species. This map provides a foundation for numerous basic and applied investigations including studies of gene organization, gene and genome evolution, targeted cloning, and dissection of complex traits. PMID:10388831

  3. Genome-Wide Discovery of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Rainbow Trout.

    PubMed

    Al-Tobasei, Rafet; Paneru, Bam; Salem, Mohamed

    2016-01-01

    The ENCODE project revealed that ~70% of the human genome is transcribed. While only 1-2% of the RNAs encode for proteins, the rest are non-coding RNAs. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) form a diverse class of non-coding RNAs that are longer than 200 nt. Emerging evidence indicates that lncRNAs play critical roles in various cellular processes including regulation of gene expression. LncRNAs show low levels of gene expression and sequence conservation, which make their computational identification in genomes difficult. In this study, more than two billion Illumina sequence reads were mapped to the genome reference using the TopHat and Cufflinks software. Transcripts shorter than 200 nt, with more than 83-100 amino acids ORF, or with significant homologies to the NCBI nr-protein database were removed. In addition, a computational pipeline was used to filter the remaining transcripts based on a protein-coding-score test. Depending on the filtering stringency conditions, between 31,195 and 54,503 lncRNAs were identified, with only 421 matching known lncRNAs in other species. A digital gene expression atlas revealed 2,935 tissue-specific and 3,269 ubiquitously-expressed lncRNAs. This study annotates the lncRNA rainbow trout genome and provides a valuable resource for functional genomics research in salmonids.

  4. Barriers, invasion, and conservation of native salmonids in coldwater streams [Box 18.2

    Treesearch

    Bruce Rieman; Michael Young; Kurt Fausch; Jason Dunham; Douglas Peterson

    2010-01-01

    Habitat loss and fragmentation are threats to persistence of many native fish populations. Invading nonnative species that may restrict or displace native species are also important. These two issues are particularly relevant for native salmonids that are often limited to remnant habitats in cold, headwater streams. On the surface, reversing threats to native fishes...

  5. Some metabolic effects of bacterial endotoxins in salmonid fishes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wedemeyer, G.A.; Ross, A.J.; Smith, L.

    1968-01-01

    Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were highly resistant to endotoxins from both Escherichia coli and Aeromonas salmonicida (a fish pathogen) at 14 and 18 C.This resistance was investigated with liver tryptophan pyrrolase, liver glycogen depletion in vitro, and the arterial blood pressure as indicators. Liver glycogen depletion was accelerated by both endotoxins, but there was no significant cardiovascular response or effect on liver tryptophan pyrrolase activity. Since the cardiovascular effects of histamine were also limited, it was concluded that the metabolic effects of bacterial endotoxins in salmonids are qualitatively different from those of the higher vertebrates.

  6. ESAP plus: a web-based server for EST-SSR marker development.

    PubMed

    Ponyared, Piyarat; Ponsawat, Jiradej; Tongsima, Sissades; Seresangtakul, Pusadee; Akkasaeng, Chutipong; Tantisuwichwong, Nathpapat

    2016-12-22

    Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have become widely used as molecular markers in plant genetic studies due to their abundance, high allelic variation at each locus and simplicity to analyze using conventional PCR amplification. To study plants with unknown genome sequence, SSR markers from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs), which can be obtained from the plant mRNA (converted to cDNA), must be utilized. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technology, huge EST sequence data have been generated and are now accessible from many public databases. However, SSR marker identification from a large in-house or public EST collection requires a computational pipeline that makes use of several standard bioinformatic tools to design high quality EST-SSR primers. Some of these computational tools are not users friendly and must be tightly integrated with reference genomic databases. A web-based bioinformatic pipeline, called EST Analysis Pipeline Plus (ESAP Plus), was constructed for assisting researchers to develop SSR markers from a large EST collection. ESAP Plus incorporates several bioinformatic scripts and some useful standard software tools necessary for the four main procedures of EST-SSR marker development, namely 1) pre-processing, 2) clustering and assembly, 3) SSR mining and 4) SSR primer design. The proposed pipeline also provides two alternative steps for reducing EST redundancy and identifying SSR loci. Using public sugarcane ESTs, ESAP Plus automatically executed the aforementioned computational pipeline via a simple web user interface, which was implemented using standard PHP, HTML, CSS and Java scripts. With ESAP Plus, users can upload raw EST data and choose various filtering options and parameters to analyze each of the four main procedures through this web interface. All input EST data and their predicted SSR results will be stored in the ESAP Plus MySQL database. Users will be notified via e-mail when the automatic process is completed and they can

  7. Effects of Catch-and-Release Angling on Salmonids at Elevated Water Temperatures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boyd, James W.; Guy, Christopher S.; Horton, Travis

    2010-08-01

    Few studies have assessed catch and release mortality of salmonids at water temperatures ≥23°C, despite predictions of warming stream temperatures due to climate change. In addition, the effects of diel temperature fluctuations on salmonid mortality have largely been ignored in catch and release angling studies. The primary objective of this study was to measure catch and release mortality of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, brown trout Salmo trutta, and mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni in three water temperature treatments; when daily maximum water temperatures were cool (<20°C), warm (20 to 22.9°C), and hot ( 23°C). A secondary objective was to assess catchmore » and release mortality of salmonids angled in morning and evening within water-temperature treatments. These objectives were related to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ Drought Fishing Closure Policy (DFCP). Angling (fly-fishing only) occurred in the Gallatin and Smith rivers. All angled fish were confined to in-stream holding cages and monitored for mortality for 72 h. Mortality of rainbow trout peaked at 16% in the Gallatin River and 9% in the Smith River during the hot treatment. Mortality of brown trout was less than 5% in all water-temperature treatments in both rivers. Mountain whitefish mortality peaked at 28% in the hot treatment in the Smith River. No mortality for any species occurred in either river when daily maximum water temperatures were <20°C. Mortality of rainbow trout peaked at 16% in the evening hot treatment in the Smith River. Mortality of brown trout and mountain whitefish was not related to time of day. The catch and release mortality values presented here likely represent fishing mortality given that most anglers in southwest Montana practice catch and release angling. The mortality values we observed were lower than predicted (< 30%), given reports in the literature. The difference is likely related to the in situ nature of the study and periods of cooler

  8. Differential predation by northern squawfish Ptychocheilus oregonensis on live and dead juvenile salmonids in the Bonneville Dam tailrace (Columbia River)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Petersen, James H.; Gadomski, Dena M.; Poe, Thomas P.

    1994-01-01

    Juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) that have been killed or injured during dam passage may be highly vulnerable or preferred prey of predators that aggregate below dams. Salmonid loss due to predation will be overestimated using gut content analysis if some prey were dead or moribund when consumed. To examine this issue, field experiments were conducted in the Bonneville Dam tailrace (Columbia River) to compare rates of capture of live and dead juvenile salmonids by northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis). Known numbers of coded-wire-tagged live and dead chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) were released into the tailrace on six nights. Northern squawfish were collected after each release and their gut contents were examined for tags. When 50% of salmon released were dead, northern squawfish consumed 62% dead salmon. When 10% of salmon released were dead, comparable with dam passage mortality, 22% of the tags found in northern squawfish digestive tracts were from dead salmon. These results indicate that predator feeding behavior and prey condition are important considerations when estimating the impact of predation on a prey population.

  9. Comparative Reannotation of 21 Aspergillus Genomes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Salamov, Asaf; Riley, Robert; Kuo, Alan

    2013-03-08

    We used comparative gene modeling to reannotate 21 Aspergillus genomes. Initial automatic annotation of individual genomes may contain some errors of different nature, e.g. missing genes, incorrect exon-intron structures, 'chimeras', which fuse 2 or more real genes or alternatively splitting some real genes into 2 or more models. The main premise behind the comparative modeling approach is that for closely related genomes most orthologous families have the same conserved gene structure. The algorithm maps all gene models predicted in each individual Aspergillus genome to the other genomes and, for each locus, selects from potentially many competing models, the one whichmore » most closely resembles the orthologous genes from other genomes. This procedure is iterated until no further change in gene models is observed. For Aspergillus genomes we predicted in total 4503 new gene models ( ~;;2percent per genome), supported by comparative analysis, additionally correcting ~;;18percent of old gene models. This resulted in a total of 4065 more genes with annotated PFAM domains (~;;3percent increase per genome). Analysis of a few genomes with EST/transcriptomics data shows that the new annotation sets also have a higher number of EST-supported splice sites at exon-intron boundaries.« less

  10. Polyphasic characterization of Aeromonas salmonicida isolates recovered from salmonid and non-salmonid fish

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Diamanka, A.; Loch, T.P.; Cipriano, R.C.; Faisal, M.

    2013-01-01

    Michigan's fisheries rely primarily upon the hatchery propagation of salmonid fish for release in public waters. One limitation on the success of these efforts is the presence of bacterial pathogens, including Aeromonas salmonicida, the causative agent of furunculosis. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of A. salmonicida in Michigan fish, as well as to determine whether biochemical or gene sequence variability exists among Michigan isolates. A total of 2202 wild, feral and hatchery-propagated fish from Michigan were examined for the presence of A. salmonicida. The examined fish included Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), coho salmon, O. kisutcha (Walbaum), steelhead trout, O. mykiss (Walbaum), Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), and yellow perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchill). Among these, 234 fish yielded a brown pigment-producing bacterium that was presumptively identified as A. salmonicida. Further phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses identified representative isolates as Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida and revealed some genetic and biochemical variability. Logistic regression analyses showed that infection prevalence varied according to fish species/strain, year and gender, whereby Chinook salmon and females had the highest infection prevalence. Moreover, this pathogen was found in six fish species from eight sites, demonstrating its widespread nature within Michigan.

  11. Genomic diversity of bacteriophages infecting the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum.

    PubMed

    Castillo, Daniel; Middelboe, Mathias

    2016-12-01

    Bacteriophages infecting the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum can potentially be used to prevent and control outbreaks of this bacterium in salmonid aquaculture. However, the application of bacteriophages in disease control requires detailed knowledge on their genetic composition. To explore the diversity of F. pyschrophilum bacteriophages, we have analyzed the complete genome sequences of 17 phages isolated from two distant geographic areas (Denmark and Chile), including the previously characterized temperate bacteriophage 6H. Phage genome size ranged from 39 302 to 89 010 bp with a G+C content of 27%-32%. None of the bacteriophages isolated in Denmark contained genes associated with lysogeny, whereas the Chilean isolates were all putative temperate phages and similar to bacteriophage 6H. Comparative genome analysis showed that phages grouped in three different genetic clusters based on genetic composition and gene content, indicating a limited genetic diversity of F. psychrophilum-specific bacteriophages. However, amino acid sequence dissimilarity (25%) was found in putative structural proteins, which could be related to the host specificity determinants. This study represents the first analysis of genomic diversity and composition among bacteriophages infecting the fish pathogen F. psychrophilum and discusses the implications for the application of phages in disease control. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Single nucleotide polymorphism discovery in rainbow trout by deep sequencing of a reduced representation library.

    PubMed

    Sánchez, Cecilia Castaño; Smith, Timothy P L; Wiedmann, Ralph T; Vallejo, Roger L; Salem, Mohamed; Yao, Jianbo; Rexroad, Caird E

    2009-11-25

    To enhance capabilities for genomic analyses in rainbow trout, such as genomic selection, a large suite of polymorphic markers that are amenable to high-throughput genotyping protocols must be identified. Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) have been used for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery in salmonids. In those strategies, the salmonid semi-tetraploid genomes often led to assemblies of paralogous sequences and therefore resulted in a high rate of false positive SNP identification. Sequencing genomic DNA using primers identified from ESTs proved to be an effective but time consuming methodology of SNP identification in rainbow trout, therefore not suitable for high throughput SNP discovery. In this study, we employed a high-throughput strategy that used pyrosequencing technology to generate data from a reduced representation library constructed with genomic DNA pooled from 96 unrelated rainbow trout that represent the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture (NCCCWA) broodstock population. The reduced representation library consisted of 440 bp fragments resulting from complete digestion with the restriction enzyme HaeIII; sequencing produced 2,000,000 reads providing an average 6 fold coverage of the estimated 150,000 unique genomic restriction fragments (300,000 fragment ends). Three independent data analyses identified 22,022 to 47,128 putative SNPs on 13,140 to 24,627 independent contigs. A set of 384 putative SNPs, randomly selected from the sets produced by the three analyses were genotyped on individual fish to determine the validation rate of putative SNPs among analyses, distinguish apparent SNPs that actually represent paralogous loci in the tetraploid genome, examine Mendelian segregation, and place the validated SNPs on the rainbow trout linkage map. Approximately 48% (183) of the putative SNPs were validated; 167 markers were successfully incorporated into the rainbow trout linkage map. In addition, 2% of the sequences from the

  13. Invasion versus isolation: Trade-offs in managing native salmonids with barriers to upstream movement

    Treesearch

    Kurt D. Fausch; Bruce E. Rieman; Jason B. Dunham; Michael K. Young; Douglas P. Peterson

    2009-01-01

    Conservation biologists often face the trade-off that increasing connectivity in fragmented landscapes to reduce extinction risk of native species can foster invasion by non-native species that enter via the corridors created, which can then increase extinction risk. This dilemma is acute for stream fishes, especially native salmonids, because their populations are...

  14. Development of field-based models of suitable thermal regimes for interior Columbia Basin salmonids

    Treesearch

    Jason B. Dunham; Bruce Rieman; Gwynne Chandler

    2001-01-01

    This report describes results of research sponsored through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Interagency Agreement #00-IA-11222014-521). The primary objectives of this research included 1) develop models relating occurrence of two threatened inland salmonid fishes to...

  15. Climate change impact on salmonid spawning in low-gradient streams in central Idaho, USA

    Treesearch

    Daniele Tonina; James A. McKean

    2010-01-01

    Climate change is often predicted to cause a significant perturbation to watershed hydrology. It has been generally associated with negative impacts on natural systems, especially in conjunction with conservation and protection of sensitive ecosystems. In the U.S., spawning habitats of threatened and endangered salmonid species are important areas that are potentially...

  16. An evaluation of the toxicity of potassium chloride, active compound in the molluscicide potash, on salmonid fish and their forage base

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Densmore, Christine L.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Henderson, Anne P.; Blazer, Vicki S.; Reed-Grimmett, Baileigh M.; Sanders, Lakyn R.

    2018-06-29

    Potash, with the active ingredient potassium chloride (KCl) is a chemical that is currently being evaluated for potential use as a molluscicide to combat invasive zebra mussels and quagga mussels in Western United States waters. Although data available for other freshwater fishes indicate that recommended treatment levels of potash as a molluscicide are sublethal, this has not been demonstrated for all salmonid species. The objectives of this study were to perform toxicity testing to determine the lethality of potassium chloride against selected species of salmonid fish (brook trout and Chinook salmon) and selected invertebrate forage, and to identify any potential adverse physiological impacts of KCl to these salmonids in water at treatment levels used for mollusk eradication. Minimal mortality (n=1 fish) was observed during 96-hour toxicity testing at KCl concentrations of 0 to 800 milligrams per liter (mg/L), indicating that the lethal concentration (LC50) values in these salmonid species were considerably higher than realistic molluscicide treatment concentrations. Sublethal effects were examined through evaluation of behavioral and morphological (histological) observation as well as specific blood chemistry parameters (electrolytes, osmolality, glucose, and cortisol). There was no strong evidence of significant physiological impairment among the two salmonid species due to KCl exposure. Whereas statistically significant differences in some parameters were observed in association with KCl treatments, it is unlikely that these differences indicate adverse biological impacts. Acute toxicity tests were conducted with invertebrate species at KCl exposure concentrations of 0–3,200 mg/L. Daphniid exposure trials resulted in differences in mortality among the test groups with higher mortality evident among the higher KCl exposure concentrations with a calculated LC50 value of 196 mg/L KCl for a 48-hour exposure. Crayfish exposed to higher concentrations of KCl at or

  17. Morphology and evolution of salmonid habitats in a recently deglaciated river basin, Washington state, USA.

    Treesearch

    L Benda; T.J. Beechie; R.C. Wissmar; A. Johnson

    1992-01-01

    Morphology and distribution of salmonid habitats were related to the geomorphology of a river basin at three spatial scales including reach (l02-103 m2), subbasin (2-26 km2), and the watershed (240 km2). Stream reaches on a young fluvial terrace (1700 yr...

  18. Observing copepods through a genomic lens

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Copepods outnumber every other multicellular animal group. They are critical components of the world's freshwater and marine ecosystems, sensitive indicators of local and global climate change, key ecosystem service providers, parasites and predators of economically important aquatic animals and potential vectors of waterborne disease. Copepods sustain the world fisheries that nourish and support human populations. Although genomic tools have transformed many areas of biological and biomedical research, their power to elucidate aspects of the biology, behavior and ecology of copepods has only recently begun to be exploited. Discussion The extraordinary biological and ecological diversity of the subclass Copepoda provides both unique advantages for addressing key problems in aquatic systems and formidable challenges for developing a focused genomics strategy. This article provides an overview of genomic studies of copepods and discusses strategies for using genomics tools to address key questions at levels extending from individuals to ecosystems. Genomics can, for instance, help to decipher patterns of genome evolution such as those that occur during transitions from free living to symbiotic and parasitic lifestyles and can assist in the identification of genetic mechanisms and accompanying physiological changes associated with adaptation to new or physiologically challenging environments. The adaptive significance of the diversity in genome size and unique mechanisms of genome reorganization during development could similarly be explored. Genome-wide and EST studies of parasitic copepods of salmon and large EST studies of selected free-living copepods have demonstrated the potential utility of modern genomics approaches for the study of copepods and have generated resources such as EST libraries, shotgun genome sequences, BAC libraries, genome maps and inbred lines that will be invaluable in assisting further efforts to provide genomics tools for

  19. Facultative anadromy in salmonids: linking habitat, individual life history decisions, and population-level consequences

    Treesearch

    Steven F. Railsback; Bret C. Harvey; Jason L. White

    2014-01-01

    Modeling and management of facultative anadromous salmonids is complicated by their ability to select anadromous or resident life histories. Conventional theory for this behavior assumes individuals select the strategy offering highest expected reproductive success but does not predict how population-level consequences such as a stream’s smolt production emerge from...

  20. Potential Factors Affecting Survival Differ by Run-Timing and Location: Linear Mixed-Effects Models of Pacific Salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) in the Klamath River, California

    PubMed Central

    Quiñones, Rebecca M.; Holyoak, Marcel; Johnson, Michael L.; Moyle, Peter B.

    2014-01-01

    Understanding factors influencing survival of Pacific salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) is essential to species conservation, because drivers of mortality can vary over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Although recent studies have evaluated the effects of climate, habitat quality, or resource management (e.g., hatchery operations) on salmonid recruitment and survival, a failure to look at multiple factors simultaneously leaves open questions about the relative importance of different factors. We analyzed the relationship between ten factors and survival (1980–2007) of four populations of salmonids with distinct life histories from two adjacent watersheds (Salmon and Scott rivers) in the Klamath River basin, California. The factors were ocean abundance, ocean harvest, hatchery releases, hatchery returns, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, North Pacific Gyre Oscillation, El Niño Southern Oscillation, snow depth, flow, and watershed disturbance. Permutation tests and linear mixed-effects models tested effects of factors on survival of each taxon. Potential factors affecting survival differed among taxa and between locations. Fall Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha survival trends appeared to be driven partially or entirely by hatchery practices. Trends in three taxa (Salmon River spring Chinook salmon, Scott River fall Chinook salmon; Salmon River summer steelhead trout O. mykiss) were also likely driven by factors subject to climatic forcing (ocean abundance, summer flow). Our findings underscore the importance of multiple factors in simultaneously driving population trends in widespread species such as anadromous salmonids. They also show that the suite of factors may differ among different taxa in the same location as well as among populations of the same taxa in different watersheds. In the Klamath basin, hatchery practices need to be reevaluated to protect wild salmonids. PMID:24866173

  1. Floral gene resources from basal angiosperms for comparative genomics research

    PubMed Central

    Albert, Victor A; Soltis, Douglas E; Carlson, John E; Farmerie, William G; Wall, P Kerr; Ilut, Daniel C; Solow, Teri M; Mueller, Lukas A; Landherr, Lena L; Hu, Yi; Buzgo, Matyas; Kim, Sangtae; Yoo, Mi-Jeong; Frohlich, Michael W; Perl-Treves, Rafael; Schlarbaum, Scott E; Bliss, Barbara J; Zhang, Xiaohong; Tanksley, Steven D; Oppenheimer, David G; Soltis, Pamela S; Ma, Hong; dePamphilis, Claude W; Leebens-Mack, James H

    2005-01-01

    Background The Floral Genome Project was initiated to bridge the genomic gap between the most broadly studied plant model systems. Arabidopsis and rice, although now completely sequenced and under intensive comparative genomic investigation, are separated by at least 125 million years of evolutionary time, and cannot in isolation provide a comprehensive perspective on structural and functional aspects of flowering plant genome dynamics. Here we discuss new genomic resources available to the scientific community, comprising cDNA libraries and Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) sequences for a suite of phylogenetically basal angiosperms specifically selected to bridge the evolutionary gaps between model plants and provide insights into gene content and genome structure in the earliest flowering plants. Results Random sequencing of cDNAs from representatives of phylogenetically important eudicot, non-grass monocot, and gymnosperm lineages has so far (as of 12/1/04) generated 70,514 ESTs and 48,170 assembled unigenes. Efficient sorting of EST sequences into putative gene families based on whole Arabidopsis/rice proteome comparison has permitted ready identification of cDNA clones for finished sequencing. Preliminarily, (i) proportions of functional categories among sequenced floral genes seem representative of the entire Arabidopsis transcriptome, (ii) many known floral gene homologues have been captured, and (iii) phylogenetic analyses of ESTs are providing new insights into the process of gene family evolution in relation to the origin and diversification of the angiosperms. Conclusion Initial comparisons illustrate the utility of the EST data sets toward discovery of the basic floral transcriptome. These first findings also afford the opportunity to address a number of conspicuous evolutionary genomic questions, including reproductive organ transcriptome overlap between angiosperms and gymnosperms, genome-wide duplication history, lineage-specific gene duplication and

  2. Assessing Juvenile Salmonid Passage Through Culverts: Field Research in Support of Protocol Development

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Williams, Greg D.; Evans, Nathan R.; Pearson, Walter H.

    2001-10-30

    The primary goal of our research this spring/ summer was to refine techniques and examine scenarios under which a standardized protocol could be applied to assess juvenile coho salmon (O. kisutch) passage through road culverts. Field evaluations focused on capture-mark- recapture methods that allowed analysis of fish movement patterns, estimates of culvert passability, and potential identification of cues inducing these movements. At this stage, 0+ age coho salmon fry 30 mm to 65 mm long (fork length) were the species and age class of interest. Ultimately, the protocol will provide rapid, statistically rigorous methods for trained personnel to perform standardizedmore » biological assessments of culvert passability to a number of juvenile salmon species. Questions to be addressed by the research include the following: ? Do hydraulic structures such as culverts restrict habitat for juvenile salmonids? ? How do existing culverts and retrofits perform relative to juvenile salmonid passage? ? Do some culvert characteristics and hydraulic conditions provide better passage than others? ? Does the culvert represent a barrier to certain size classes of fish? Recommendations addressed issues of study site selection, initial capture, marking, recapture/observations, and estimating movement.« less

  3. Virulence of Renibacterium salmoninarum to salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Starliper, C.E.; Smith, D.R.; Shatzer, T.

    1997-01-01

    Virulence of Renibacterium salmoninarum isolates representing five origins was evaluated in eight salmonid hosts; four origins were of Lake Michigan and the fifth was of the Pacific Northwest. The species type strain, ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) 33209, was also included. Each isolate was grown in a kidney disease medium (KDM2) supplemented with 1 % ATCC 33209 culture metabolite; serial 10-fold dilutions were prepared, and groups of fish were challenged by intraperitoneal injection with 0.1 mL of each dilution. A 70-d observation period followed, and bacterial kidney disease (BKD) was diagnosed by the fluorescent antibody technique. Virulence of isolates was quantified as a dose lethal to 50% of fish (LD50) for each host–isolate challenge. In the first set of experiments, 23 isolates were used to challenge groups of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis. The mean LD50 was 1.087 x 106 colony-forming units per milliliter (cfu/mL; SD = 2.022 x 106), and the LD50 values ranged from 8.457 x 106 to 2.227 x 104 cfu/mL. Analysis of variance to evaluate the effect of isolate origin on virulence in brook trout revealed no significant difference (F = 1.502; P = 0.243). Susceptibilities of the other salmonid hosts were evaluated by challenge with six isolates of R. salmoninarum representing each origin and the species type strain. For many of the host–isolate challenge combinations, time to death was highly dependent on the dilution (number of bacteria) injected. In general, the isolates MCO4M, B26, and A34 (all of Lake Michigan origin) tended to be more virulent. Also, LD50 values were dispersed throughout a wider range among the more susceptible hosts. Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, and brook trout were relatively resistant to challenge with the strains, whereas coho salmon O. kisutch, domestic Atlantic salmon Saltno salar, and chinook salmon O. tshawytscha were relatively susceptible. Another challenge evaluated the effect of

  4. Complete genome sequence of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum ATCC 49418(T.).

    PubMed

    Wu, Anson Kk; Kropinski, Andrew M; Lumsden, John S; Dixon, Brian; MacInnes, Janet I

    2015-01-01

    Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the causative agent of bacterial cold water disease and rainbow trout fry mortality syndrome in salmonid fishes and is associated with significant losses in the aquaculture industry. The virulence factors and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of F. psychrophilum are poorly understood. Moreover, at the present time, there are no effective vaccines and control using antimicrobial agents is problematic due to growing antimicrobial resistance and the fact that sick fish don't eat. In the hopes of identifying vaccine and therapeutic targets, we sequenced the genome of the type strain ATCC 49418 which was isolated from the kidney of a Coho salmon (Oncorhychus kisutch) in Washington State (U.S.A.) in 1989. The genome is 2,715,909 bp with a G+C content of 32.75%. It contains 6 rRNA operons, 49 tRNA genes, and is predicted to encode 2,329 proteins.

  5. Complete genome sequence of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum ATCC 49418T

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the causative agent of bacterial cold water disease and rainbow trout fry mortality syndrome in salmonid fishes and is associated with significant losses in the aquaculture industry. The virulence factors and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of F. psychrophilum are poorly understood. Moreover, at the present time, there are no effective vaccines and control using antimicrobial agents is problematic due to growing antimicrobial resistance and the fact that sick fish don’t eat. In the hopes of identifying vaccine and therapeutic targets, we sequenced the genome of the type strain ATCC 49418 which was isolated from the kidney of a Coho salmon (Oncorhychus kisutch) in Washington State (U.S.A.) in 1989. The genome is 2,715,909 bp with a G+C content of 32.75%. It contains 6 rRNA operons, 49 tRNA genes, and is predicted to encode 2,329 proteins. PMID:25685258

  6. Effects of woody debris on anadromous salmonid habitat, Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska

    Treesearch

    Thomas E. Lisle

    1986-01-01

    Abstract - The effects of woody debris on anadromous salmonid habitat in eight streams on Prince of Wales Island, southeast Alaska, were investigated by comparing low-gradient (1-9%) first- or second-order streams flowing through either spruce-hemlock forests or 6-10-year-old clearcuts, and by observing changes after debris was selectively removed from clear-cut...

  7. Predation by northern pikeminnow on juvenile salmonids in The Dalles Dam tailrace: field, laboratory, and habitat modeling studies (FY2000)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Petersen, James H.; Barfoot, Craig A.; Sheer, Mindi B.

    2001-01-01

    Predation by resident fish is known to be a substantial cause of juvenile salmonid mortality, especially in dam tailraces and outfall locations. Conditions in The Dalles Dam tailrace are unique compared to other projects on the Columbia or Snake rivers, having a complex basin with a series of downriver islands where predators are known to reside. In May-June of 1999, northern pikeminnow and smallmouth bass were sampled in the tailrace of The Dalles Dam during periods immediately following the release of PIT-tagged juvenile salmonids for survival studies. Over twice as many smallmouth bass (N = 101) were collected as northern pikeminnow (N = 40), but none of the predators had PIT tags within their gut. A laboratory study was conducted to estimate the time required for PIT tags in juvenile salmonids to be evacuated from the gut of northern pikeminnow after consuming a tagged preyfish. Evacuation rate was sensitive to temperature, with median evacuation time being 21 h at 18 oC and 30 h at 14 oC. These results suggest that field studies to estimate predator population sizes, feeding rates, or predation on specific release groups would require considerably more effort than we allocated during 1999.

  8. Froude Number is the Single Most Important Hydraulic Parameter for Salmonid Spawning Habitat.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gillies, E.; Moir, H. J.

    2015-12-01

    Many gravel-bed rivers exhibit historic straightening or embanking, reducing river complexity and the available habitat for key species such as salmon. A defensible method for predicting salmonid spawning habitat is an important tool for anyone engaged in assessing a river restoration. Most empirical methods to predict spawning habitat use lookup tables of depth, velocity and substrate. However, natural site selection is different: salmon must pick a location where they can successfully build a redd, and where eggs have a sufficient survival rate. Also, using dimensional variables, such as depth and velocity, is problematic: spawning occurs in rivers of differing size, depth and velocity range. Non-dimensional variables have proven useful in other branches of fluid dynamics, and instream habitat is no different. Empirical river data has a high correlation between observed salmon redds and Froude number, without insight into why. Here we present a physics based model of spawning and bedform evolution, which shows that Froude number is indeed a rational choice for characterizing the bedform, substrate, and flow necessary for spawning. It is familiar for Froude to characterize surface waves, but Froude also characterizes longitudinal bedform in a mobile bed river. We postulate that these bedforms and their hydraulics perform two roles in salmonid spawning: allowing transport of clasts during redd building, and oxygenating eggs. We present an example of this Froude number and substrate based habitat characterization on a Scottish river for which we have detailed topography at several stages during river restoration and subsequent evolution of natural processes. We show changes to the channel Froude regime as a result of natural process and validate habitat predictions against redds observed during 2014 and 2015 spawning seasons, also relating this data to the Froude regime in other, nearby, rivers. We discuss the use of the Froude spectrum in providing an indicator of

  9. Predation on Chinook Salmon parr by hatchery salmonids and Fallfish in the Salmon River, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, James H.; Nack, Christopher C.; Chalupnicki, Marc; Abbett, Ross; McKenna, James E.

    2016-01-01

    Naturally reproduced Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha contribute substantially to the fishery in Lake Ontario. The Salmon River, a Lake Ontario tributary in New York, produces the largest numbers of naturally spawned Chinook Salmon, with parr abundance in the river often exceeding 10 million. In the spring of each year, large numbers of hatchery salmonid yearlings—potential predators of Chinook Salmon parr—are released into the Salmon River by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. We sought to examine predation on Chinook Salmon parr in the Salmon River during May and June prior to out-migration. Over the 4 years examined (2009–2012), annual consumption of Chinook Salmon parr by hatchery-released yearling steelhead O. mykiss and Coho Salmon O. kisutch ranged from 1.5 to 3.3 million and from 0.4 to 2.1 million, respectively. In 2009, Fallfish Semotilus corporalis were estimated to consume 2.9 million Chinook Salmon parr. Predation was higher in May, when the average TL of Chinook Salmon parr was 44.5 mm, than in June. Fallfish were also important predators of naturally reproduced steelhead subyearlings, consuming an estimated 800,000 steelhead in 2009. Hatchery-released yearling salmonids consumed 13.8–15.3% of the Chinook Salmon parr that were estimated to be present in the Salmon River during 2010–2012. Earlier releases of hatchery salmonid yearlings could reduce the riverine consumption of Chinook Salmon parr by facilitating the out-migration of yearlings prior to Chinook Salmon emergence.

  10. Are block nets necessary? Movement of stream-dwelling salmonids in response to three common survey methods

    Treesearch

    James T. Peterson; Nolan P. Banish; Russell F. Thurow

    2005-01-01

    Fish movement during sampling may negatively bias sample data and population estimates. We evaluated the short-term movements of stream-dwelling salmonids by recapture of marked individuals during day and night snorkeling and backpack electrofishing. Bull trout Salvelinus confluentus and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were...

  11. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from immune tissues of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) challenged with pathogens

    PubMed Central

    Pardo, Belén G; Fernández, Carlos; Millán, Adrián; Bouza, Carmen; Vázquez-López, Araceli; Vera, Manuel; Alvarez-Dios, José A; Calaza, Manuel; Gómez-Tato, Antonio; Vázquez, María; Cabaleiro, Santiago; Magariños, Beatriz; Lemos, Manuel L; Leiro, José M; Martínez, Paulino

    2008-01-01

    Background The turbot (Scophthalmus maximus; Scophthalmidae; Pleuronectiformes) is a flatfish species of great relevance for marine aquaculture in Europe. In contrast to other cultured flatfish, very few genomic resources are available in this species. Aeromonas salmonicida and Philasterides dicentrarchi are two pathogens that affect turbot culture causing serious economic losses to the turbot industry. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms for disease resistance and host-pathogen interactions in this species. In this work, thousands of ESTs for functional genomic studies and potential markers linked to ESTs for mapping (microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) are provided. This information enabled us to obtain a preliminary view of regulated genes in response to these pathogens and it constitutes the basis for subsequent and more accurate microarray analysis. Results A total of 12584 cDNAs partially sequenced from three different cDNA libraries of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) infected with Aeromonas salmonicida, Philasterides dicentrarchi and from healthy fish were analyzed. Three immune-relevant tissues (liver, spleen and head kidney) were sampled at several time points in the infection process for library construction. The sequences were processed into 9256 high-quality sequences, which constituted the source for the turbot EST database. Clustering and assembly of these sequences, revealed 3482 different putative transcripts, 1073 contigs and 2409 singletons. BLAST searches with public databases detected significant similarity (e-value ≤ 1e-5) in 1766 (50.7%) sequences and 816 of them (23.4%) could be functionally annotated. Two hundred three of these genes (24.9%), encoding for defence/immune-related proteins, were mostly identified for the first time in turbot. Some ESTs showed significant differences in the number of transcripts when comparing the three libraries, suggesting regulation in response to these pathogens. A total of

  12. How well can captive breeding programs conserve biodiversity? A review of salmonids

    PubMed Central

    Fraser, Dylan J

    2008-01-01

    Captive breeding programs are increasingly being initiated to prevent the imminent extinction of endangered species and/or populations. But how well can they conserve genetic diversity and fitness, or re-establish self-sustaining populations in the wild? A review of these complex questions and related issues in salmonid fishes reveals several insights and uncertainties. Most programs can maintain genetic diversity within populations over several generations, but available research suggests the loss of fitness in captivity can be rapid, its magnitude probably increasing with the duration in captivity. Over the long-term, there is likely tremendous variation between (i) programs in their capacity to maintain genetic diversity and fitness, and (ii) species or even intraspecific life-history types in both the severity and manner of fitness-costs accrued. Encouragingly, many new theoretical and methodological approaches now exist for current and future programs to potentially reduce these effects. Nevertheless, an unavoidable trade-off exists between conserving genetic diversity and fitness in certain instances, such as when captive-bred individuals are temporarily released into the wild. Owing to several confounding factors, there is also currently little evidence that captive-bred lines of salmonids can or cannot be reintroduced as self-sustaining populations. Most notably, the root causes of salmonid declines have not been mitigated where captive breeding programs exist. Little research has also addressed under what conditions an increase in population abundance due to captive-rearing might offset fitness reductions induced in captivity. Finally, more empirical investigation is needed to evaluate the genetic/fitness benefits and risks associated with (i) maintaining captive broodstocks as either single or multiple populations within one or more facilities, (ii) utilizing cryopreservation or surrogate broodstock technologies, and (iii) adopting other alternatives to

  13. Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Avian Predation on Salmonid Smolts in the Lower and Mid-Columbia River, 2008 Draft Season Summary.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roby, Daniel D.; Collis, Ken; Lyons, Donald E.

    2009-07-08

    This report describes investigations into predation by piscivorous colonial waterbirds on juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) from throughout the Columbia River basin during 2008. East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary again supported the largest known breeding colony of Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) in the world (approximately 10,700 breeding pairs) and the largest breeding colony of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in western North America (approximately 10,950 breeding pairs). The Caspian tern colony increased from 2007, but not significantly so, while the double-crested cormorant colony experienced a significant decline (20%) from 2007. Average cormorant nesting success in 2008, however, was downmore » only slightly from 2007, suggesting that food supply during the 2008 nesting season was not the principal cause of the decline in cormorant colony size. Total consumption of juvenile salmonids by East Sand Island Caspian terns in 2008 was approximately 6.7 million smolts (95% c.i. = 5.8-7.5 million). Caspian terns nesting on East Sand Island continued to rely primarily on marine forage fishes as a food supply. Based on smolt PIT tag recoveries on the East Sand Island Caspian tern colony, predation rates were highest on steelhead in 2008; minimum predation rates on steelhead smolts detected passing Bonneville Dam averaged 8.3% for wild smolts and 10.7% for hatchery-raised smolts. In 2007, total smolt consumption by East Sand Island double-crested cormorants was about 9.2 million juvenile salmonids (95% c.i. = 4.4-14.0 million), similar to or greater than that of East Sand Island Caspian terns during that year (5.5 million juvenile salmonids; 95% c.i. = 4.8-6.2 million). The numbers of smolt PIT tags recovered on the cormorant colony in 2008 were roughly proportional to the relative availability of PIT-tagged salmonids released in the Basin, suggesting that cormorant predation on salmonid smolts in the estuary was less selective

  14. Evaluation of an ion adsorption method to estimate intragravel flow velocity in salmonid spawning gravels

    Treesearch

    James L. Clayton; John G. King; Russell F. Thurow

    1996-01-01

    Intragravel water exchange provides oxygenated water, removes metabolic waste, and is an essential factor in salmonid embryo survival. Measurements of intragravel flow velocity have been suggested as an index of gravel quality and also as a useful predictor of fry emergence; however, proposed methods for measuring velocity in gravel are problematic. We evaluate an ion...

  15. Holding of juvenile salmonids for surgical implantation of electronic tags: a review and recommendations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Oldenburg, Eric W.; Colotelo, Alison HA; Brown, Richard S.

    Many telemetry based studies require that fish be sampled from the wild and then held for some amount of time both prior to and after the implantation of a transmitter. However, the effects of such holding (or the lack thereof) are often overlooked. Pre-surgical holding often occurs to facilitate logistical needs of research projects and as an attempt to minimize negative physiological effects due to capture and handling stress. Further, post-surgical holding time and conditions greatly influence the physiological state of fish prior to being returned to the wild. This paper reviews pertinent studies pertaining to the effects of surgicalmore » holding on the behavior, physiology, and survival of fishes, with particular emphasis on juvenile salmonids. The effects of individual aspects of surgical holding such as stressors, time, holding conditions and water quality are also examined. Recommendations regarding certain aspects of surgical holding (e.g., holding duration) are offered with a goal of reducing bias related to the surgical process. Pre- and post-surgical holding times of 18–36 h are suggested as a general guideline for juvenile salmonids.« less

  16. Mathematical modeling in biological populations through branching processes. Application to salmonid populations.

    PubMed

    Molina, Manuel; Mota, Manuel; Ramos, Alfonso

    2015-01-01

    This work deals with mathematical modeling through branching processes. We consider sexually reproducing animal populations where, in each generation, the number of progenitor couples is determined in a non-predictable environment. By using a class of two-sex branching processes, we describe their demographic dynamics and provide several probabilistic and inferential contributions. They include results about the extinction of the population and the estimation of the offspring distribution and its main moments. We also present an application to salmonid populations.

  17. Saving the spandrels? Adaptive genomic variation in conservation and fisheries management.

    PubMed

    Pearse, D E

    2016-12-01

    As highlighted by many of the papers in this issue, research on the genomic basis of adaptive phenotypic variation in natural populations has made spectacular progress in the past few years, largely due to the advances in sequencing technology and analysis. Without question, the resulting genomic data will improve the understanding of regions of the genome under selection and extend knowledge of the genetic basis of adaptive evolution. What is far less clear, but has been the focus of active discussion, is how such information can or should transfer into conservation practice to complement more typical conservation applications of genetic data. Before such applications can be realized, the evolutionary importance of specific targets of selection relative to the genome-wide diversity of the species as a whole must be evaluated. The key issues for the incorporation of adaptive genomic variation in conservation and management are discussed here, using published examples of adaptive genomic variation associated with specific phenotypes in salmonids and other taxa to highlight practical considerations for incorporating such information into conservation programmes. Scenarios are described in which adaptive genomic data could be used in conservation or restoration, constraints on its utility and the importance of validating inferences drawn from new genomic data before applying them in conservation practice. Finally, it is argued that an excessive focus on preserving the adaptive variation that can be measured, while ignoring the vast unknown majority that cannot, is a modern twist on the adaptationist programme that Gould and Lewontin critiqued almost 40 years ago. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  18. The role of density-dependent individual growth in the persistence of freshwater salmonid populations.

    PubMed

    Vincenzi, Simone; Crivelli, Alain J; Jesensek, Dusan; De Leo, Giulio A

    2008-06-01

    Theoretical and empirical models of populations dynamics have paid little attention to the implications of density-dependent individual growth on the persistence and regulation of small freshwater salmonid populations. We have therefore designed a study aimed at testing our hypothesis that density-dependent individual growth is a process that enhances population recovery and reduces extinction risk in salmonid populations in a variable environment subject to disturbance events. This hypothesis was tested in two newly introduced marble trout (Salmo marmoratus) populations living in Slovenian streams (Zakojska and Gorska) subject to severe autumn floods. We developed a discrete-time stochastic individual-based model of population dynamics for each population with demographic parameters and compensatory responses tightly calibrated on data from individually tagged marble trout. The occurrence of severe flood events causing population collapses was explicitly accounted for in the model. We used the model in a population viability analysis setting to estimate the quasi-extinction risk and demographic indexes of the two marble trout populations when individual growth was density-dependent. We ran a set of simulations in which the effect of floods on population abundance was explicitly accounted for and another set of simulations in which flood events were not included in the model. These simulation results were compared with those of scenarios in which individual growth was modelled with density-independent Von Bertalanffy growth curves. Our results show how density-dependent individual growth may confer remarkable resilience to marble trout populations in case of major flood events. The resilience to flood events shown by the simulation results can be explained by the increase in size-dependent fecundity as a consequence of the drop in population size after a severe flood, which allows the population to quickly recover to the pre-event conditions. Our results suggest

  19. Can biosecurity and local network properties predict pathogen species richness in the salmonid industry?

    PubMed Central

    More, Simon J.; Geoghegan, Fiona; McManus, Catherine; Hill, Ashley E.; Martínez-López, Beatriz

    2018-01-01

    Salmonid farming in Ireland is mostly organic, which implies limited disease treatment options. This highlights the importance of biosecurity for preventing the introduction and spread of infectious agents. Similarly, the effect of local network properties on infection spread processes has rarely been evaluated. In this paper, we characterized the biosecurity of salmonid farms in Ireland using a survey, and then developed a score for benchmarking the disease risk of salmonid farms. The usefulness and validity of this score, together with farm indegree (dichotomized as ≤ 1 or > 1), were assessed through generalized Poisson regression models, in which the modeled outcome was pathogen richness, defined here as the number of different diseases affecting a farm during a year. Seawater salmon (SW salmon) farms had the highest biosecurity scores with a median (interquartile range) of 82.3 (5.4), followed by freshwater salmon (FW salmon) with 75.2 (8.2), and freshwater trout (FW trout) farms with 74.8 (4.5). For FW salmon and trout farms, the top ranked model (in terms of leave-one-out information criteria, looic) was the null model (looic = 46.1). For SW salmon farms, the best ranking model was the full model with both predictors and their interaction (looic = 33.3). Farms with a higher biosecurity score were associated with lower pathogen richness, and farms with indegree > 1 (i.e. more than one fish supplier) were associated with increased pathogen richness. The effect of the interaction between these variables was also important, showing an antagonistic effect. This would indicate that biosecurity effectiveness is achieved through a broader perspective on the subject, which includes a minimization in the number of suppliers and hence in the possibilities for infection to enter a farm. The work presented here could be used to elaborate indicators of a farm’s disease risk based on its biosecurity score and indegree, to inform risk-based disease surveillance and

  20. Can biosecurity and local network properties predict pathogen species richness in the salmonid industry?

    PubMed

    Yatabe, Tadaishi; More, Simon J; Geoghegan, Fiona; McManus, Catherine; Hill, Ashley E; Martínez-López, Beatriz

    2018-01-01

    Salmonid farming in Ireland is mostly organic, which implies limited disease treatment options. This highlights the importance of biosecurity for preventing the introduction and spread of infectious agents. Similarly, the effect of local network properties on infection spread processes has rarely been evaluated. In this paper, we characterized the biosecurity of salmonid farms in Ireland using a survey, and then developed a score for benchmarking the disease risk of salmonid farms. The usefulness and validity of this score, together with farm indegree (dichotomized as ≤ 1 or > 1), were assessed through generalized Poisson regression models, in which the modeled outcome was pathogen richness, defined here as the number of different diseases affecting a farm during a year. Seawater salmon (SW salmon) farms had the highest biosecurity scores with a median (interquartile range) of 82.3 (5.4), followed by freshwater salmon (FW salmon) with 75.2 (8.2), and freshwater trout (FW trout) farms with 74.8 (4.5). For FW salmon and trout farms, the top ranked model (in terms of leave-one-out information criteria, looic) was the null model (looic = 46.1). For SW salmon farms, the best ranking model was the full model with both predictors and their interaction (looic = 33.3). Farms with a higher biosecurity score were associated with lower pathogen richness, and farms with indegree > 1 (i.e. more than one fish supplier) were associated with increased pathogen richness. The effect of the interaction between these variables was also important, showing an antagonistic effect. This would indicate that biosecurity effectiveness is achieved through a broader perspective on the subject, which includes a minimization in the number of suppliers and hence in the possibilities for infection to enter a farm. The work presented here could be used to elaborate indicators of a farm's disease risk based on its biosecurity score and indegree, to inform risk-based disease surveillance and control

  1. Watershed processes, fish habitat, and salmonid distribution in the Tonsina River (Copper River watershed), Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Booth, D. B.; Ligon, F. K.; Sloat, M. R.; Amerson, B.; Ralph, S. C.

    2007-12-01

    The Copper River watershed is a critical resource for northeastern Pacific salmon, with annual escapements in the millions. The Tonsina River basin, a diverse 2100-km2 tributary to the Copper River that supports important salmonid populations, offers an opportunity to integrate watershed-scale channel network data with field reconnaissance of physical processes and observed distribution of salmonid species. Our long-term goals are to characterize habitats critical to different salmonid life stages, describe the geologic context and current geologic processes that support those habitats in key channel reaches, and predict their watershed-wide distribution. The overarching motivation for these goals is resource conservation, particularly in the face of increased human activity and long-term climate change. Channel geomorphology within the Tonsina River basin reflects inherited glacial topography. Combinations of drainage areas, slopes, channel confinement, and sediment-delivery processes are unique to this environment, giving rise to channel "types" that are recognizable but that do not occur in the same positions in the channel network as in nonglaciated landscapes. We also recognize certain channel forms providing fish habitat without analog in a nonglacial landscape, notably relict floodplain potholes from once-stranded and long-melted ice blocks. Salmonid species dominated different channel types within the watershed network. Sockeye salmon juveniles were abundant in the low-gradient, turbid mainstem; Chinook juveniles were also captured in the lower mainstem, with abundant evidence of spawning farther downstream. Coho juveniles were abundant in upper, relatively large tributaries, even those channels with cobble-boulder substrates and minimal woody debris that provide habitats more commonly utilized by Chinook in low-latitude systems. More detailed field sampling also revealed that patterns of species composition and abundance appeared related to small

  2. Virucidal activity of two Iodophors to salmonid viruses

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Amend, Donald F.; Pietsch, John P.

    1972-01-01

    Wescodyne® and Betadine®, organic iodine complexes, were compared in vitro for virucidal activity against infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN), infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN), and viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) viruses. Both iodophors were about equally effective on all three viruses. Each iodophor completely destroyed IHN virus within 30 sec at 12 ppm iodine, and was not affected by water hardness. Virucidal activity, however, was reduced at pH levels above 8.0 and in the presence of organic matter. Wescodyne was also compared with seven disinfectants commonly used in fish hatcheries, for virucidal properties against IHN virus. Wescodyne and chlorine were the only disinfectants to completely destroy the virus. Either Wescodyne or Betadine would effectively destroy the salmonid viruses at less than 25 ppm iodine within 5 min in solutions near neutrality.

  3. The barley EST DNA Replication and Repair Database (bEST-DRRD) as a tool for the identification of the genes involved in DNA replication and repair.

    PubMed

    Gruszka, Damian; Marzec, Marek; Szarejko, Iwona

    2012-06-14

    The high level of conservation of genes that regulate DNA replication and repair indicates that they may serve as a source of information on the origin and evolution of the species and makes them a reliable system for the identification of cross-species homologs. Studies that had been conducted to date shed light on the processes of DNA replication and repair in bacteria, yeast and mammals. However, there is still much to be learned about the process of DNA damage repair in plants. These studies, which were conducted mainly using bioinformatics tools, enabled the list of genes that participate in various pathways of DNA repair in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh to be outlined; however, information regarding these mechanisms in crop plants is still very limited. A similar, functional approach is particularly difficult for a species whose complete genomic sequences are still unavailable. One of the solutions is to apply ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) as the basis for gene identification. For the construction of the barley EST DNA Replication and Repair Database (bEST-DRRD), presented here, the Arabidopsis nucleotide and protein sequences involved in DNA replication and repair were used to browse for and retrieve the deposited sequences, derived from four barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) sequence databases, including the "Barley Genome version 0.05" database (encompassing ca. 90% of barley coding sequences) and from two databases covering the complete genomes of two monocot models: Oryza sativa L. and Brachypodium distachyon L. in order to identify homologous genes. Sequences of the categorised Arabidopsis queries are used for browsing the repositories, which are located on the ViroBLAST platform. The bEST-DRRD is currently used in our project during the identification and validation of the barley genes involved in DNA repair. The presented database provides information about the Arabidopsis genes involved in DNA replication and repair, their expression patterns and models

  4. Rate of disappearance of gas bubble trauma signs in juvenile salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hans, K.M.; Mesa, M.G.; Maule, A.G.

    1999-01-01

    To assess the rate of disappearance of gas bubble trauma (GBT) signs in juvenile salmonids, we exposed spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and steelhead O. mykiss to water containing high levels of dissolved gas supersaturation (DGS) for a time period sufficient to induce signs of GBT, reduced the DGS to minimal levels, and then sampled fish through time to document changes in severity of GBT. Because of the tendency of GBT signs to dissipate at different rates, we conducted trials focusing on emboli (bubbles) in the gill filaments and lateral line and separate trials that focused on bubbles in the external surfaces (fins, eyes, and opercula). Bubbles in gill filaments dissipated almost completely within 2 h after transfer of fish to water of nearly normal DGS (104%), whereas bubbles in the lateral line dissipated to negligible levels within 5 h. Bubbles on external surfaces were more persistent through time than they were in gill filaments and the lateral line. Although typically dissipating to low levels within 48 h, external bubbles sometimes remained for 4 d. Assuming a direct relation exists between easily observable signs and direct mortality, our results suggest that fish can recover quickly from the potentially lethal effects of DGS once they move from water with high DGS to water of almost normal gas saturation. These results should be of fundamental importance to fishery managers interpreting the results of monitoring for the severity and prevalence of GBT in juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River system and perhaps elsewhere.

  5. A simple model that identifies potential effects of sea-level rise on estuarine and estuary-ecotone habitat locations for salmonids in Oregon, USA.

    PubMed

    Flitcroft, Rebecca; Burnett, Kelly; Christiansen, Kelly

    2013-07-01

    Diadromous aquatic species that cross a diverse range of habitats (including marine, estuarine, and freshwater) face different effects of climate change in each environment. One such group of species is the anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Studies of the potential effects of climate change on salmonids have focused on both marine and freshwater environments. Access to a variety of estuarine habitat has been shown to enhance juvenile life-history diversity, thereby contributing to the resilience of many salmonid species. Our study is focused on the effect of sea-level rise on the availability, complexity, and distribution of estuarine, and low-freshwater habitat for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), steelhead (anadromous O. mykiss), and coho salmon (O. kisutch) along the Oregon Coast under future climate change scenarios. Using LiDAR, we modeled the geomorphologies of five Oregon estuaries and estimated a contour associated with the current mean high tide. Contour intervals at 1- and 2-m increments above the current mean high tide were generated, and changes in the estuary morphology were assessed. Because our analysis relied on digital data, we compared three types of digital data in one estuary to assess the utility of different data sets in predicting the changes in estuary shape. For each salmonid species, changes in the amount and complexity of estuarine edge habitats varied by estuary. The simple modeling approach we applied can also be used to identify areas that may be most amenable to pre-emptive restoration actions to mitigate or enhance salmonid habitat under future climatic conditions.

  6. The VTAC Committee: developing guidance for an alternative regulatory pathway to the anadromous salmonid protection rules

    Treesearch

    Michael Liquori; Peter Cafferata; Kevin Boston; Richard Gienger; David Hope

    2012-01-01

    In recent decades, riparian protection standards have been guided by generalized prescriptive rules. With the passage of the Anadromous Salmonid Protection rules in 2009, the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection (Board) established a regulatory pathway that provides an alternative approach for riparian protection based on site-specific criteria (14 CCR § 916....

  7. Influence of fire on native and nonnative salmonid populations and habitat in a western Montana basin

    Treesearch

    Clint M Sestrich; Thomas E. McMahon; Michael K. Young

    2011-01-01

    Anticipated increases in the frequency and severity of wildfire may threaten the persistence of native salmonid populations in headwater streams in western North America. This study used extensive pre- and postfire data to assess whether wildfire leads to hypothesized declines in native westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi and bull trout Salvelinus...

  8. Carcass addition does not enhance juvenile salmonid biomass, growth, or retention in six Northwestern California streams.

    Treesearch

    Bret Harvey; Margaret A. Wilzbach

    2010-01-01

    Fisheries managers commonly consider the addition of salmon carcasses when seeking to enhance salmonid populations. However, the range of environmental conditions under which the technique is effective remains poorly defined. We addressed this issue by measuring the effects of wintertime addition of salmon carcasses on the biomass, growth, and retention of juvenile...

  9. A riverscape perspective of Pacific salmonids and aquatic habitats prior to large-scale dam removal in the Elwha River, Washington, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brenkman, S.J.; Duda, J.J.; Torgersen, C.E.; Welty, E.; Pess, G.R.; Peters, R.; McHenry, M.L.

    2012-01-01

     Dam removal has been increasingly proposed as a river restoration technique. In 2011, two large hydroelectric dams will be removed from Washington State’s Elwha River. Ten anadromous fish populations are expected to recolonise historical habitats after dam removal. A key to understanding watershed recolonisation is the collection of spatially continuous information on fish and aquatic habitats. A riverscape approach with an emphasis on biological data has rarely been applied in mid-sized, wilderness rivers, particularly in consecutive years prior to dam removal. Concurrent snorkel and habitat surveys were conducted from the headwaters to the mouth (rkm 65–0) of the Elwha River in 2007 and 2008. This riverscape approach characterised the spatial extent, assemblage structure and patterns of relative density of Pacific salmonids. The presence of dams influenced the longitudinal patterns of fish assemblages, and species richness was the highest downstream of the dams, where anadromous salmonids still have access. The percent composition of salmonids was similar in both years for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), coastal cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii (Richardson) (89%; 88%), Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum) (8%; 9%), and bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus (Suckley) (3% in both years). Spatial patterns of abundance for rainbow and cutthroat trout (r = 0.76) and bull trout (r = 0.70) were also consistent between years. Multivariate and univariate methods detected differences in habitat structure along the river profile caused by natural and anthropogenic factors. The riverscape view highlighted species-specific biological hotspots and revealed that 60–69% of federally threatened bull trout occurred near or below the dams. Spatially continuous surveys will be vital in evaluating the effectiveness of upcoming dam removal projects at restoring anadromous salmonids.

  10. Genome Comparisons Reveal a Dominant Mechanism of Chromosome Number Reduction in Grasses and Accelerated Genome Evolution in Triticeae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Single nucleotide polymorphism was employed in the construction of a high-resolution, expressed sequence tag (EST) map of Aegilops tauschii, the diploid source of the wheat D genome. Comparison of the map with the rice and sorghum genome sequences revealed 50 inversions and translocations; 2, 8, and...

  11. Predicting the Total Abundance of Resident Salmonids within the Willamette River Basin, Oregon - a Macroecological Modeling Approach

    EPA Science Inventory

    I present a simple, macroecological model of fish abundance that was used to estimate the total number of non-migratory salmonids within the Willamette River Basin (western Oregon). The model begins with empirical point estimates of net primary production (NPP in g C/m2) in fore...

  12. Impact of beaver dams on abundance and distribution of anadromous salmonids in two lowland streams in Lithuania.

    PubMed

    Virbickas, Tomas; Stakėnas, Saulius; Steponėnas, Andrius

    2015-01-01

    European beaver dams impeded movements of anadromous salmonids as it was established by fishing survey, fish tagging and redd counts in two lowland streams in Lithuania. Significant differences in abundancies of other litophilic fish species and evenness of representation by species in the community were detected upstream and downstream of the beaver dams. Sea trout parr marked with RFID tags passed through several successive beaver dams in upstream direction, but no tagged fish were detected above the uppermost dam. Increase in abundances of salmonid parr in the stream between the beaver dams and decrease below the dams were recorded in November, at the time of spawning of Atlantic salmon and sea trout, but no significant changes were detected in the sections upstream of the dams. After construction of several additional beaver dams in the downstream sections of the studied streams, abundance of Atlantic salmon parr downstream of the dams decreased considerably in comparison with that estimated before construction.

  13. Comprehensive EST analysis of the symbiotic sea anemone, Anemonia viridis

    PubMed Central

    Sabourault, Cécile; Ganot, Philippe; Deleury, Emeline; Allemand, Denis; Furla, Paola

    2009-01-01

    Background Coral reef ecosystems are renowned for their diversity and beauty. Their immense ecological success is due to a symbiotic association between cnidarian hosts and unicellular dinoflagellate algae, known as zooxanthellae. These algae are photosynthetic and the cnidarian-zooxanthellae association is based on nutritional exchanges. Maintenance of such an intimate cellular partnership involves many crosstalks between the partners. To better characterize symbiotic relationships between a cnidarian host and its dinoflagellate symbionts, we conducted a large-scale EST study on a symbiotic sea anemone, Anemonia viridis, in which the two tissue layers (epiderm and gastroderm) can be easily separated. Results A single cDNA library was constructed from symbiotic tissue of sea anemones A. viridis in various environmental conditions (both normal and stressed). We generated 39,939 high quality ESTs, which were assembled into 14,504 unique sequences (UniSeqs). Sequences were analysed and sorted according to their putative origin (animal, algal or bacterial). We identified many new repeated elements in the 3'UTR of most animal genes, suggesting that these elements potentially have a biological role, especially with respect to gene expression regulation. We identified genes of animal origin that have no homolog in the non-symbiotic starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis genome, but in other symbiotic cnidarians, and may therefore be involved in the symbiosis relationship in A. viridis. Comparison of protein domain occurrence in A. viridis with that in N. vectensis demonstrated an increase in abundance of some molecular functions, such as protein binding or antioxidant activity, suggesting that these functions are essential for the symbiotic state and may be specific adaptations. Conclusion This large dataset of sequences provides a valuable resource for future studies on symbiotic interactions in Cnidaria. The comparison with the closest available genome, the sea

  14. Development of a EST dataset and characterization of EST-SSRs in a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, Epimedium sagittatum (Sieb. Et Zucc.) Maxim

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    ~1580 EST-SSR markers are transferable. E. sagittatum EST-SSR transferability to the major Epimedium germplasm is up to 85.7%. Therefore, this EST dataset and EST-SSRs will be a powerful resource for further studies such as taxonomy, molecular breeding, genetics, genomics, and secondary metabolism in Epimedium species. PMID:20141623

  15. Juvenile salmonid use of freshwater emergent wetlands in the floodplain and its implications for conservation management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Henning, Julie A.; Gresswell, Robert E.; Fleming, Ian A.

    2006-01-01

    A recent trend of enhancing freshwater emergent wetlands for waterfowl and other wildlife has raised concern about the effects of such measures on juvenile salmonids. We undertook this study to quantify the degree and extent of juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. utilization of enhanced and unenhanced emergent wetlands within the floodplain of the lower Chehalis River, Washington, and to determine the fate of the salmon using them. Enhanced emergent wetlands contained water control structures that provided an outlet for fish emigration and a longer hydroperiod for rearing than unenhanced wetlands. Age-0 and age-1 coho salmon O. kisutch were the most common salmonid at all sites, enhanced wetlands having significantly higher age-1 abundance than unenhanced wetlands that were a similar distance from the main-stem river. Yearling coho salmon benefited from rearing in two enhanced wetland habitats, where their specific growth rate and minimum estimates of survival (1.43%/d by weight and 30%; 1.37%/d and 57%) were comparable to those in other side-channel rearing studies. Dissolved oxygen concentrations decreased in emergent wetlands throughout the season and approached the limits lethal to juvenile salmon by May or June each year. Emigration patterns suggested that age-0 and age-1 coho salmon emigrated as habitat conditions declined. This observation was further supported by the results of an experimental release of coho salmon. Survival of fish utilizing emergent wetlands was dependent on movement to the river before water quality decreased or stranding occurred from wetland desiccation. Thus, our results suggest that enhancing freshwater wetlands via water control structures can benefit juvenile salmonids, at least in the short term, by providing conditions for greater growth, survival, and emigration.

  16. Non-native salmonids affect amphibian occupancy at multiple spatial scales

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pilliod, David S.; Hossack, Blake R.; Bahls, Peter F.; Bull, Evelyn L.; Corn, Paul Stephen; Hokit, Grant; Maxell, Bryce A.; Munger, James C.; Wyrick, Aimee

    2010-01-01

    Aim The introduction of non-native species into aquatic environments has been linked with local extinctions and altered distributions of native species. We investigated the effect of non-native salmonids on the occupancy of two native amphibians, the long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris), across three spatial scales: water bodies, small catchments and large catchments. Location Mountain lakes at ≥ 1500 m elevation were surveyed across the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. Methods We surveyed 2267 water bodies for amphibian occupancy (based on evidence of reproduction) and fish presence between 1986 and 2002 and modelled the probability of amphibian occupancy at each spatial scale in relation to habitat availability and quality and fish presence. Results After accounting for habitat features, we estimated that A. macrodactylum was 2.3 times more likely to breed in fishless water bodies than in water bodies with fish. Ambystoma macrodactylum also was more likely to occupy small catchments where none of the water bodies contained fish than in catchments where at least one water body contained fish. However, the probability of salamander occupancy in small catchments was also influenced by habitat availability (i.e. the number of water bodies within a catchment) and suitability of remaining fishless water bodies. We found no relationship between fish presence and salamander occupancy at the large-catchment scale, probably because of increased habitat availability. In contrast to A. macrodactylum, we found no relationship between fish presence and R. luteiventris occupancy at any scale. Main conclusions Our results suggest that the negative effects of non-native salmonids can extend beyond the boundaries of individual water bodies and increase A. macrodactylum extinction risk at landscape scales. We suspect that niche overlap between non-native fish and A. macrodactylum at higher elevations in the northern Rocky

  17. Cumulative effects of logging road sediment on salmonid populations in the Clearwater River, Jefferson County, Washington

    Treesearch

    C. J. Cederholm; L. M. Reid; E. O. Salo

    1981-01-01

    Abstract - The nature of sediment production from logging roads and the effect of the resulting sediment on salmonid spawning success in the Clearwater River drainage have been studied for eight years. The study includes intensive and extensive analyses of field situations, supplemented by several controlled experiments. It was found that significant amounts (15-25...

  18. Ontology and diversity of transcript-associated microsatellites mined from a globe artichoke EST database

    PubMed Central

    Scaglione, Davide; Acquadro, Alberto; Portis, Ezio; Taylor, Christopher A; Lanteri, Sergio; Knapp, Steven J

    2009-01-01

    Background The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L.) is a significant crop in the Mediterranean basin. Despite its commercial importance and its both dietary and pharmaceutical value, knowledge of its genetics and genomics remains scant. Microsatellite markers have become a key tool in genetic and genomic analysis, and we have exploited recently acquired EST (expressed sequence tag) sequence data (Composite Genome Project - CGP) to develop an extensive set of microsatellite markers. Results A unigene assembly was created from over 36,000 globe artichoke EST sequences, containing 6,621 contigs and 12,434 singletons. Over 12,000 of these unigenes were functionally assigned on the basis of homology with Arabidopsis thaliana reference proteins. A total of 4,219 perfect repeats, located within 3,308 unigenes was identified and the gene ontology (GO) analysis highlighted some GO term's enrichments among different classes of microsatellites with respect to their position. Sufficient flanking sequence was available to enable the design of primers to amplify 2,311 of these microsatellites, and a set of 300 was tested against a DNA panel derived from 28 C. cardunculus genotypes. Consistent amplification and polymorphism was obtained from 236 of these assays. Their polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.04 to 0.90 (mean 0.66). Between 176 and 198 of the assays were informative in at least one of the three available mapping populations. Conclusion EST-based microsatellites have provided a large set of de novo genetic markers, which show significant amounts of polymorphism both between and within the three taxa of C. cardunculus. They are thus well suited as assays for phylogenetic analysis, the construction of genetic maps, marker-assisted breeding, transcript mapping and other genomic applications in the species. PMID:19785740

  19. Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in Pacific Northwest salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Breyta, Rachel; Black, Allison; Kaufman, John; Kurath, Gael

    2016-01-01

    The aquatic rhaboviral pathogen infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) causes acute disease in juvenile fish of a number of populations of Pacific salmonid species. Heavily managed in both marine and freshwater environments, these fish species are cultured during the juvenile stage in freshwater conservation hatcheries, where IHNV is one of the top three infectious diseases that cause serious morbidity and mortality. Therefore, a comprehensive study of viral genetic surveillance data representing 2590 field isolates collected between 1958 and 2014 was conducted to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of IHNV in the Pacific Northwest of the contiguous United States. Prevalence of infection varied over time, fluctuating over a rough 5–7 year cycle. The genetic analysis revealed numerous subgroups of IHNV, each of which exhibited spatial heterogeneity. Within all subgroups, dominant genetic types were apparent, though the temporal patterns of emergence of these types varied among subgroups. Finally, the affinity or fidelity of subgroups to specific host species also varied, where UC subgroup viruses exhibited a more generalist profile and all other subgroups exhibited a specialist profile. These complex patterns are likely synergistically driven by numerous ecological, pathobiological, and anthropogenic factors. Since only a few anthropogenic factors are candidates for managed intervention aimed at improving the health of threatened or endangered salmonid fish populations, determining the relative impact of these factors is a high priority for future studies.

  20. Magnitude and Dynamics of Predation on Juvenile Salmonids in Columbia and Snake River Reservoirs, Annual Report of Research, 1989-1990.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Petersen, J.H.

    1990-07-01

    Three aspects of predation upon juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River are addressed in this report: (1) Indexing predator consumption. During 1989--1990, two indices of northern squawfish consumption upon juvenile salmonids were developed for use throughout the Columbia River Basin. The direct Consumption Index (CI) is based upon the concept of meal turnover time and takes into account number of salmonids, temperature, total gut content weight and predator weight. A Bioenergetics Index (BI) for consumption indexing was also developed to complement the direct CI. In the BI, growth, consumption, excretion/evacuation and respiration processes are modeled to predict the consumption requiredmore » to produce an observed growth increment. (2) Studies on predator-smolt dynamics. Northern squawfish consumption data were collected in the McNary Dam tailrace during nine days in July 1988 to improve our understanding of the predator-smolt functional response. (3) Selective predation by northern squawfish. Laboratory and field protocols were developed to evaluate northern squawfish selection and prey vulnerability. Results from laboratory studies suggest that northern squawfish prefer dead over live prey and that descaled prey may be more vulnerable to predation than non-descaled prey. Stressed and unstressed prey were consumed in equal proportions when predation occurred for 6 or 24 h. Physiological and behavioral effects of stress on juvenile salmon are presented. 100 refs., 13 figs., 12 tabs.« less

  1. Habitat associations of age-0 cutthroat trout in a spring stream improved for adult salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hubert, W.A.; Joyce, M.P.

    2005-01-01

    Native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) in the Snake River watershed use streams formed by large springs for spawning and nursery habitat. Several spring streams have been modified to enhance abundance of adult salmonids, but the habitat associations of age-0 cutthroat trout in these systems are undescribed. We assessed the frequency of collection of age-0 cutthroat trout in riffles, riffle margins, pool margins, and backwaters from late June to the middle of August 2000 in a spring stream with such modifications. The proportion of sites in which age-0 cutthroat trout were collected increased up to the middle of July and then decreased. We found substantially lower frequencies of collection of age-0 cutthroat trout in riffles compared to the three stream-margin habitat types. Age-0 cutthroat trout appeared to select shallow, low-velocity, stream-margin habitat with cover that provided protection from piscivorous adult salmonids and avian predators. Our observations suggest that modification of spring streams for production of cutthroat trout should include efforts to manage stream margins so they provide cover in the form of aquatic macrophytes or overhanging vegetation for age-0 fish.

  2. Relationship of otolith strontium-to-calcium ratios and salinity: Experimental validation for juvenile salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zimmerman, C.E.

    2005-01-01

    Analysis of otolith strontium (Sr) or strontium-to-calcium (Sr:Ca) ratios provides a powerful tool to reconstruct the chronology of migration among salinity environments for diadromous salmonids. Although use of this method has been validated by examination of known individuals and translocation experiments, it has never been validated under controlled experimental conditions. In this study, incorporation of otolith Sr was tested across a range of salinities and resulting levels of ambient Sr and Ca concentrations in juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus rnykiss), and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Experimental water was mixed, using stream water and seawater as end members, to create experimental salinities of 0.1, 6.3, 12.7, 18.6, 25.5, and 33.0 psu. Otolith Sr and Sr:Ca ratios were significantly related to salinity for all species (r2 range: 0.80-0.91) but provide only enough predictive resolution to discriminate among fresh water, brackish water, and saltwater residency. These results validate the use of otolith Sr:Ca ratios to broadly discriminate salinity histories encountered by salmonids but highlight the need for further research concerning the influence of osmoregulation and physiological changes associated with smoking on otolith microchemistry.

  3. JUICE: a data management system that facilitates the analysis of large volumes of information in an EST project workflow.

    PubMed

    Latorre, Mariano; Silva, Herman; Saba, Juan; Guziolowski, Carito; Vizoso, Paula; Martinez, Veronica; Maldonado, Jonathan; Morales, Andrea; Caroca, Rodrigo; Cambiazo, Veronica; Campos-Vargas, Reinaldo; Gonzalez, Mauricio; Orellana, Ariel; Retamales, Julio; Meisel, Lee A

    2006-11-23

    Expressed sequence tag (EST) analyses provide a rapid and economical means to identify candidate genes that may be involved in a particular biological process. These ESTs are useful in many Functional Genomics studies. However, the large quantity and complexity of the data generated during an EST sequencing project can make the analysis of this information a daunting task. In an attempt to make this task friendlier, we have developed JUICE, an open source data management system (Apache + PHP + MySQL on Linux), which enables the user to easily upload, organize, visualize and search the different types of data generated in an EST project pipeline. In contrast to other systems, the JUICE data management system allows a branched pipeline to be established, modified and expanded, during the course of an EST project. The web interfaces and tools in JUICE enable the users to visualize the information in a graphical, user-friendly manner. The user may browse or search for sequences and/or sequence information within all the branches of the pipeline. The user can search using terms associated with the sequence name, annotation or other characteristics stored in JUICE and associated with sequences or sequence groups. Groups of sequences can be created by the user, stored in a clipboard and/or downloaded for further analyses. Different user profiles restrict the access of each user depending upon their role in the project. The user may have access exclusively to visualize sequence information, access to annotate sequences and sequence information, or administrative access. JUICE is an open source data management system that has been developed to aid users in organizing and analyzing the large amount of data generated in an EST Project workflow. JUICE has been used in one of the first functional genomics projects in Chile, entitled "Functional Genomics in nectarines: Platform to potentiate the competitiveness of Chile in fruit exportation". However, due to its ability to

  4. JUICE: a data management system that facilitates the analysis of large volumes of information in an EST project workflow

    PubMed Central

    Latorre, Mariano; Silva, Herman; Saba, Juan; Guziolowski, Carito; Vizoso, Paula; Martinez, Veronica; Maldonado, Jonathan; Morales, Andrea; Caroca, Rodrigo; Cambiazo, Veronica; Campos-Vargas, Reinaldo; Gonzalez, Mauricio; Orellana, Ariel; Retamales, Julio; Meisel, Lee A

    2006-01-01

    Background Expressed sequence tag (EST) analyses provide a rapid and economical means to identify candidate genes that may be involved in a particular biological process. These ESTs are useful in many Functional Genomics studies. However, the large quantity and complexity of the data generated during an EST sequencing project can make the analysis of this information a daunting task. Results In an attempt to make this task friendlier, we have developed JUICE, an open source data management system (Apache + PHP + MySQL on Linux), which enables the user to easily upload, organize, visualize and search the different types of data generated in an EST project pipeline. In contrast to other systems, the JUICE data management system allows a branched pipeline to be established, modified and expanded, during the course of an EST project. The web interfaces and tools in JUICE enable the users to visualize the information in a graphical, user-friendly manner. The user may browse or search for sequences and/or sequence information within all the branches of the pipeline. The user can search using terms associated with the sequence name, annotation or other characteristics stored in JUICE and associated with sequences or sequence groups. Groups of sequences can be created by the user, stored in a clipboard and/or downloaded for further analyses. Different user profiles restrict the access of each user depending upon their role in the project. The user may have access exclusively to visualize sequence information, access to annotate sequences and sequence information, or administrative access. Conclusion JUICE is an open source data management system that has been developed to aid users in organizing and analyzing the large amount of data generated in an EST Project workflow. JUICE has been used in one of the first functional genomics projects in Chile, entitled "Functional Genomics in nectarines: Platform to potentiate the competitiveness of Chile in fruit exportation

  5. Effects of sediment transport on survival of salmonid embryos in a natural stream: A simulation approach

    Treesearch

    Thomas E. Lisle; Jack Lewis

    1992-01-01

    A model is presented that simulates the effects of streamflow and sediment transport on survival of salmonid embryos incubating in spawning gravels in a natural channel. Components of the model include a 6-yr streamflow record, an empirical bed load-transport function, a relation between transport and infiltration of sandy bedload into a gravel bed, effects of fine-...

  6. Salmonid Communities in the South Fork of Caspar Creek, 1967 to 1969 and 1993 to 2003

    Treesearch

    Bradley E. Valentine; Richard A. Macedo; Tracie Hughes

    2007-01-01

    Demand for wood products and advances in logging technology post-World War II resulted in timber harvesting that extensively modified streams on the North Coast of California. To assess the resulting impacts to salmonid populations, the Department of Fish and Game conducted studies at widely spaced sites throughout the redwood region during the 1960s. In order to...

  7. A genomic survey of the fish parasite Spironucleus salmonicida indicates genomic plasticity among diplomonads and significant lateral gene transfer in eukaryote genome evolution

    PubMed Central

    Andersson, Jan O; Sjögren, Åsa M; Horner, David S; Murphy, Colleen A; Dyal, Patricia L; Svärd, Staffan G; Logsdon, John M; Ragan, Mark A; Hirt, Robert P; Roger, Andrew J

    2007-01-01

    Background Comparative genomic studies of the mitochondrion-lacking protist group Diplomonadida (diplomonads) has been lacking, although Giardia lamblia has been intensively studied. We have performed a sequence survey project resulting in 2341 expressed sequence tags (EST) corresponding to 853 unique clones, 5275 genome survey sequences (GSS), and eleven finished contigs from the diplomonad fish parasite Spironucleus salmonicida (previously described as S. barkhanus). Results The analyses revealed a compact genome with few, if any, introns and very short 3' untranslated regions. Strikingly different patterns of codon usage were observed in genes corresponding to frequently sampled ESTs versus genes poorly sampled, indicating that translational selection is influencing the codon usage of highly expressed genes. Rigorous phylogenomic analyses identified 84 genes – mostly encoding metabolic proteins – that have been acquired by diplomonads or their relatively close ancestors via lateral gene transfer (LGT). Although most acquisitions were from prokaryotes, more than a dozen represent likely transfers of genes between eukaryotic lineages. Many genes that provide novel insights into the genetic basis of the biology and pathogenicity of this parasitic protist were identified including 149 that putatively encode variant-surface cysteine-rich proteins which are candidate virulence factors. A number of genomic properties that distinguish S. salmonicida from its human parasitic relative G. lamblia were identified such as nineteen putative lineage-specific gene acquisitions, distinct mutational biases and codon usage and distinct polyadenylation signals. Conclusion Our results highlight the power of comparative genomic studies to yield insights into the biology of parasitic protists and the evolution of their genomes, and suggest that genetic exchange between distantly-related protist lineages may be occurring at an appreciable rate in eukaryote genome evolution. PMID

  8. Sequence analysis reveals genomic factors affecting EST-SSR primer performance and polymorphism

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Search for simple sequence repeat (SSR) motifs and design of flanking primers in expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences can be easily done at a large scale using bioinformatics programs. However, failed amplification and/or detection, along with lack of polymorphism, is often seen among randomly sel...

  9. The construction of an EST database for Bombyx mori and its application

    PubMed Central

    Mita, Kazuei; Morimyo, Mitsuoki; Okano, Kazuhiro; Koike, Yoshiko; Nohata, Junko; Kawasaki, Hideki; Kadono-Okuda, Keiko; Yamamoto, Kimiko; Suzuki, Masataka G.; Shimada, Toru; Goldsmith, Marian R.; Maeda, Susumu

    2003-01-01

    To build a foundation for the complete genome analysis of Bombyx mori, we have constructed an EST database. Because gene expression patterns deeply depend on tissues as well as developmental stages, we analyzed many cDNA libraries prepared from various tissues and different developmental stages to cover the entire set of Bombyx genes. So far, the Bombyx EST database contains 35,000 ESTs from 36 cDNA libraries, which are grouped into ≈11,000 nonredundant ESTs with the average length of 1.25 kb. The comparison with FlyBase suggests that the present EST database, SilkBase, covers >55% of all genes of Bombyx. The fraction of library-specific ESTs in each cDNA library indicates that we have not yet reached saturation, showing the validity of our strategy for constructing an EST database to cover all genes. To tackle the coming saturation problem, we have checked two methods, subtraction and normalization, to increase coverage and decrease the number of housekeeping genes, resulting in a 5–11% increase of library-specific ESTs. The identification of a number of genes and comprehensive cloning of gene families have already emerged from the SilkBase search. Direct links of SilkBase with FlyBase and WormBase provide ready identification of candidate Lepidoptera-specific genes. PMID:14614147

  10. In silico search, characterization and validation of new EST-SSR markers in the genus Prunus.

    PubMed

    Sorkheh, Karim; Prudencio, Angela S; Ghebinejad, Azim; Dehkordi, Mehrana Kohei; Erogul, Deniz; Rubio, Manuel; Martínez-Gómez, Pedro

    2016-07-07

    Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are defined as sequence repeat units between 1 and 6 bp that occur in both coding and non-coding regions abundant in eukaryotic genomes, which may affect the expression of genes. In this study, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of eight Prunus species were analyzed for in silico mining of EST-SSRs, protein annotation, and open reading frames (ORFs), and the identification of codon repetitions. A total of 316 SSRs were identified using MISA software. Dinucleotide SSR motifs (26.31 %) were found to be the most abundant type of repeats, followed by tri- (14.58 %), tetra- (0.53 %), and penta- (0.27 %) nucleotide motifs. An attempt was made to design primer pairs for 316 identified SSRs but these were successful for only 175 SSR sequences. The positions of SSRs with respect to ORFs were detected, and annotation of sequences containing SSRs was performed to assign function to each sequence. SSRs were also characterized (in terms of position in the reference genome and associated gene) using the two available Prunus reference genomes (mei and peach). Finally, 38 SSR markers were validated across peach, almond, plum, and apricot genotypes. This validation showed a higher transferability level of EST-SSR developed in P. mume (mei) in comparison with the rest of species analyzed. Findings will aid analysis of functionally important molecular markers and facilitate the analysis of genetic diversity.

  11. A consensus genetic map of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.] and synteny based on EST-derived SNPs.

    PubMed

    Muchero, Wellington; Diop, Ndeye N; Bhat, Prasanna R; Fenton, Raymond D; Wanamaker, Steve; Pottorff, Marti; Hearne, Sarah; Cisse, Ndiaga; Fatokun, Christian; Ehlers, Jeffrey D; Roberts, Philip A; Close, Timothy J

    2009-10-27

    Consensus genetic linkage maps provide a genomic framework for quantitative trait loci identification, map-based cloning, assessment of genetic diversity, association mapping, and applied breeding in marker-assisted selection schemes. Among "orphan crops" with limited genomic resources such as cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] (2n = 2x = 22), the use of transcript-derived SNPs in genetic maps provides opportunities for automated genotyping and estimation of genome structure based on synteny analysis. Here, we report the development and validation of a high-throughput EST-derived SNP assay for cowpea, its application in consensus map building, and determination of synteny to reference genomes. SNP mining from 183,118 ESTs sequenced from 17 cDNA libraries yielded approximately 10,000 high-confidence SNPs from which an Illumina 1,536-SNP GoldenGate genotyping array was developed and applied to 741 recombinant inbred lines from six mapping populations. Approximately 90% of the SNPs were technically successful, providing 1,375 dependable markers. Of these, 928 were incorporated into a consensus genetic map spanning 680 cM with 11 linkage groups and an average marker distance of 0.73 cM. Comparison of this cowpea genetic map to reference legumes, soybean (Glycine max) and Medicago truncatula, revealed extensive macrosynteny encompassing 85 and 82%, respectively, of the cowpea map. Regions of soybean genome duplication were evident relative to the simpler diploid cowpea. Comparison with Arabidopsis revealed extensive genomic rearrangement with some conserved microsynteny. These results support evolutionary closeness between cowpea and soybean and identify regions for synteny-based functional genomics studies in legumes.

  12. Gambling on a shortcut to genome sequencing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Roberts, L.

    1991-06-21

    Almost from the start of the Human Genome Project, a debate has been raging over whether to sequence the entire human genome, all 3 billion bases, or just the genes - a mere 2% or 3% of the genome, and by far the most interesting part. In England, Sydney Brenner convinced the Medical Research Council (MRC) to start with the expressed genes, or complementary DNAs. But the US stance has been that the entire sequence is essential if we are to understand the blueprint of man. Craig Venter of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that focusingmore » on the expressed genes may be even more useful than expected. His strategy involves randomly selecting clones from cDNA libraries which theoretically contain all the genes that are switched on at a particular time in a particular tissue. Then the researchers sequence just a short stretch of each clone, about 400 to 500 bases, to create can expressed sequence tag or EST. The sequences of these ESTs are then stored in a database. Using that information, other researchers can then recreate that EST by using polymerase chain reaction techniques.« less

  13. Cardiorespiratory performance during prolonged swimming tests with salmonids: a perspective on temperature effects and potential analytical pitfalls.

    PubMed

    Farrell, A P

    2007-11-29

    A prolonged swimming trial is the most common approach in studying steady-state changes in oxygen uptake, cardiac output and tissue oxygen extraction as a function of swimming speed in salmonids. The data generated by these sorts of studies are used here to support the idea that a maximum oxygen uptake is reached during a critical swimming speed test. Maximum oxygen uptake has a temperature optimum. Potential explanations are advanced to explain why maximum aerobic performance falls off at high temperature. The valuable information provided by critical swimming tests can be confounded by non-steady-state swimming behaviours, which typically occur with increasing frequency as salmonids approach fatigue. Two major concerns are noted. Foremost, measurements of oxygen uptake during swimming can considerably underestimate the true cost of transport near critical swimming speed, apparently in a temperature-dependent manner. Second, based on a comparison with voluntary swimming ascents in a raceway, forced swimming trials in a swim tunnel respirometer may underestimate critical swimming speed, possibly because fish in a swim tunnel respirometer are unable to sustain a ground speed.

  14. Effects of riparian canopy opening and salmon carcass addition on the abundance and growth of resident salmonids

    Treesearch

    Margaret A. Wilzbach; Bret C. Harvey; Jason L. White; Rodney J. Nakamoto

    2005-01-01

    We studied the concurrent effects of riparian canopy opening and salmon carcass addition on salmonid biomass, density and growth rates in small streams over 2 years. In each of six streams in the Smith and Klamath River basins in northern California, red alder (Alnus rubra) and other hardwoods were removed along both banks of a 100-m reach to...

  15. Acoustic Imaging Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Behavior in the Immediate Forebay of the Water Temperature Control Tower at Cougar Dam, 2010

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Khan, Fenton; Johnson, Gary E.; Royer, Ida M.

    This report presents the results of an evaluation of juvenile Chinook salmonid (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) behavior in the immediate forebay of the Water Temperature Control (WTC) tower at Cougar Dam in 2010. The study was conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The overall goal of the study was to characterize juvenile salmonid behavior and movement patterns in the immediate forebay of the WTC tower for fisheries resource managers to use to make decisions on bioengineering designs for long-term structures and/or operations to facilitate safe downstream passage for juvenile salmonids. We collected acoustic imagingmore » (Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar; DIDSON) data from February 1, 2010 through January 31, 2011 to evaluate juvenile salmonid behavior year-round in the immediate forebay surface layer of the WTC tower (within 20 m, depth 0-5 m). From October 28, 2010 through January 31, 2011 a BlueView acoustic camera was also deployed in an attempt to determine its usefulness for future studies as well as augment the DIDSON data. For the DIDSON data, we processed a total of 35 separate 24-h periods systematically covering every other week in the 12-month study. Two different 24-hour periods were processed for the BlueView data for the feasibility study. Juvenile salmonids were present in the immediate forebay of the WTC tower throughout 2010. The juvenile salmonid abundance index was low in the spring (<200 fish per sample-day), began increasing in late April and peaked in mid-May. Fish abundance index began decreasing in early June and remained low in the summer months. Fish abundance increased again in the fall, starting in October, and peaked on November 8-9. A second peak occurred on December 22. Afterwards, abundance was low for the rest of the study (through January 2011). Average fish length for juvenile salmonids during early spring 2010 was 214 {+-} 86 mm (standard deviation). From May through early

  16. Gene discovery using next-generation pyrosequencing to develop ESTs for Phalaenopsis orchids

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Orchids are one of the most diversified angiosperms, but few genomic resources are available for these non-model plants. In addition to the ecological significance, Phalaenopsis has been considered as an economically important floriculture industry worldwide. We aimed to use massively parallel 454 pyrosequencing for a global characterization of the Phalaenopsis transcriptome. Results To maximize sequence diversity, we pooled RNA from 10 samples of different tissues, various developmental stages, and biotic- or abiotic-stressed plants. We obtained 206,960 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) with an average read length of 228 bp. These reads were assembled into 8,233 contigs and 34,630 singletons. The unigenes were searched against the NCBI non-redundant (NR) protein database. Based on sequence similarity with known proteins, these analyses identified 22,234 different genes (E-value cutoff, e-7). Assembled sequences were annotated with Gene Ontology, Gene Family and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Among these annotations, over 780 unigenes encoding putative transcription factors were identified. Conclusion Pyrosequencing was effective in identifying a large set of unigenes from Phalaenopsis. The informative EST dataset we developed constitutes a much-needed resource for discovery of genes involved in various biological processes in Phalaenopsis and other orchid species. These transcribed sequences will narrow the gap between study of model organisms with many genomic resources and species that are important for ecological and evolutionary studies. PMID:21749684

  17. Juvenile anadromous salmonid production in upper Columbia River side channels with different levels of hydrological connection

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martens, Kyle D.; Connolly, Patrick J.

    2014-01-01

    We examined the contribution of three types of side channels based on their hydrologic connectivity (seasonally disconnected, partially connected, and connected) to production of juvenile anadromous salmonids. Juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss and Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha were found in all three of these side channel types and in each year of the study. Upon connection with the main stem at high flows, the seasonally disconnected side channels experienced an emptying out of the previous year's fish while filling with young-of-year fish during the 2- to 4-month period of hydrologic connection. There were no differences between the densities of juvenile steelhead and Chinook Salmon and the rate of smolts produced among the three types of side channels. Recently reintroduced Coho Salmon O. kisutch had sporadic presence and abundance in partially and connected side channels, but the smolt production rate was over two times that of steelhead and Chinook Salmon in seasonally disconnected side channels. Within seasonally disconnected side channels, young-of-year salmonids in deep pools (≥100 cm) had greater survival than those in shallow pools (<100 cm). Densities of juvenile steelhead in all side channel types were similar to those in tributaries and were higher than in main-stem lateral margins. Juvenile Chinook Salmon densities were higher in side channels than in both tributary and main-stem lateral margins. Our results suggest that improving quality of pool habitat within seasonally disconnected side channels can result in improved survival for juvenile anadromous salmonids during the period of disconnection. Habitat improvement in these seasonally disconnected side channels should be recognized as a worthy restoration strategy, especially when full connectivity of side channels may not be a feasible target (e.g., through lack of water availability) or when full connectivity may present too high a risk (e.g., flooding, stream capture, bank

  18. Influence of forest and rangeland management on anadromous fish habitat in Western North America: habitat requirements of anadromous salmonids.

    Treesearch

    D.W. Reiser; T.C. Bjornn

    1979-01-01

    Habitat requirements of anadromous and some resident salmonid fishes have been described for various life stages, including upstream migration of adults, spawning, incubation, and juvenile rearing. Factors important in the migration of adults are water temperature, minimum water depth, maximum water velocity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and...

  19. Basin-scale availability of salmonid spawning gravel as influenced by channel type and hydraulic roughness in mountain catchments.

    Treesearch

    John M. Buffington; David R. Montgomery; Harvey M. Greenberg

    2004-01-01

    A general framework is presented for examining the effects of channel type and associated hydraulic roughness on salmonid spawning-gravel availability in mountain catchments. Digital elevation models are coupled with grain-size predictions to provide basin-scale assessments of the potential extent and spatial pattern of spawning gravels. To demonstrate both the model...

  20. Unprecedented genomic diversity of AhR1 and AhR2 genes in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

    PubMed

    Hansson, Maria C; Wittzell, Håkan; Persson, Kerstin; von Schantz, Torbjörn

    2004-06-24

    multiple AhR genes are present in Atlantic salmon genome, which likely is a consequence of previous genome duplications in the evolutionary past of salmonids. Plausible explanations for the high incidence of AhR genes in fish and more specifically in salmonids, like rapid divergences in specialized functions, are discussed.

  1. Influence of riparian canopy on macroinvertebrate composition and food habits of juvenile salmonids in several Oregon streams.

    Treesearch

    William R. Meehan

    1996-01-01

    The community composition of macroinvertebrates and the feeding habits of juvenile salmonids were studied in eight Oregon streams. Benthic, drift, sticky trap, and water trap samples were taken over a 3-year period, along with stomach samples of the fish. Samples were taken in stream reaches with and without riparian canopy. Both main effects—fish diet versus...

  2. Trophic feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids in three reservoirs on the north fork Lewis River, Washington: Prey supply and consumption demand of resident fishes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sorel, Mark H.; Hansen, Adam G.; Connelly, Kristin A.; Beauchamp, David A.

    2016-01-01

    The reintroduction of anadromous salmonids in reservoirs is being proposed with increasing frequency, requiring baseline studies to evaluate feasibility and estimate the capacity of reservoir food webs to support reintroduced populations. Using three reservoirs on the north fork Lewis River as a case study, we demonstrate a method to determine juvenile salmonid smolt rearing capacities for lakes and reservoirs. To determine if the Lewis River reservoirs can support reintroduced populations of juvenile stream-type Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, we evaluated the monthly production of daphniaDaphnia spp. (the primary zooplankton consumed by resident salmonids in the system) and used bioenergetics to model the consumption demand of resident fishes in each reservoir. To estimate the surplus of Daphnia prey available for reintroduced salmonids, we assumed a maximum sustainable exploitation rate and accounted for the consumption demand of resident fishes. The number of smolts that could have been supported was estimated by dividing any surplus Daphnia production by the simulated consumption demand of an individual Chinook Salmon fry rearing in the reservoir to successful smolt size. In all three reservoirs, densities of Daphnia were highest in the epilimnion, but warm epilimnetic temperatures and the vertical distribution of planktivores suggested that access to abundant epilimnetic prey was limited. By comparing accessible prey supply and demand on a monthly basis, we were able to identify potential prey supply bottlenecks that could limit smolt production and growth. These results demonstrate that a bioenergetics approach can be a valuable method of examining constraints on lake and reservoir rearing capacity, such as thermal structure and temporal food supply. This method enables numerical estimation of rearing capacity, which is a useful metric for managers evaluating the feasibility of reintroducing Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. in lentic systems.

  3. Determine the Influence of Time Held in “Knockdown” Anesthesia on Survival and Stress of Surgically Implanted Juvenile Salmonids

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Woodley, Christa M.; Wagner, Katie A.; Knox, Kasey M.

    2012-01-31

    The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) was developed for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Portland District (USACE) to address questions related to survival and performance measures of juvenile salmonids as they pass through the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). Researchers using JSATS acoustic transmitters (ATs) were tasked with standardizing the surgical implantation procedure to ensure that the stressors of handling and surgery on salmonids were consistent and less likely to cause effects of tagging in survival studies. Researchers questioned whether the exposure time in 'knockdown' anesthesia (or induction) to prepare fish for surgery could influence the survivalmore » of study fish (CBSPSC 2011). Currently, fish are held in knockdown anesthesia after they reach Stage 4 anesthesia until the completion of the surgical implantation of a transmitter, varies from 5 to 15 minutes for studies conducted in the Columbia Basin. The Columbia Basin Surgical Protocol Steering Committee (CBSPSC ) expressed concern that its currently recommended 10-minute maximum time limit during which fish are held in anesthetic - tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222, 80 mg L-1 water) - could increase behavioral and physiological costs, and/or decrease survival of outmigrating juvenile salmonids. In addition, the variability in the time fish are held at Stage 4 could affect the data intended for direct comparison of fish within or among survival studies. Under the current recommended protocol, if fish exceed the 10-minute time limit, they are to be released without surgical implantation, thereby increasing the number of fish handled and endangered species 'take' at the bypass systems for FCRPS survival studies.« less

  4. Pathways of Barotrauma in Juvenile Salmonids Exposed to Simulated Hydroturbine Passage: Boyle’s Law vs. Henry’s Law

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brown, Richard S.; Pflugrath, Brett D.; Colotelo, Alison HA

    2012-06-01

    On their seaward migration, juvenile salmonids commonly pass hydroelectric dams. Fish passing by the turbine blade may experience rapid decompression, the severity of which can be highly variable and may result in a number of barotraumas. The mechanisms of these injuries can be due to expansion of existing bubbles or gases coming out of solution; governed by Boyle’s Law and Henry’s Law, respectively. This paper combines re-analysis of published data with new experiments to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of injury and mortality for fish experiencing rapid decompression associated with hydroturbine passage. From these data it appears thatmore » the majority of decompression related injuries are due to the expansion of existing bubbles in the fish, particularly the expansion and rupture of the swim bladder. This information is particularly useful for fisheries managers and turbine manufacturers, demonstrating that reducing the rate of swim bladder ruptures by reducing the frequency of occurrence and severity of rapid decompression during hydroturbine passage could reduce the rates of injury and mortality for hydroturbine passed juvenile salmonids.« less

  5. Detection and quantification of Renibacterium salmoninarum DNA in salmonid tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chase, D.M.; Elliott, D.G.; Pascho, R.J.

    2006-01-01

    Renibacterium salmoninarum is an important salmonid pathogen that is difficult to culture. We developed and assessed a real-time, quantitative, polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for the detection and enumeration of R. salmoninarum. The qPCR is based on TaqMan technology and amplifies a 69-base pair (bp) region of the gene encoding the major soluble antigen (MSA) of R. salmoninarum. The qPCR assay consistently detected as few as 5 R. salmoninarum cells per reaction in kidney tissue. The specificity of the qPCR was confirmed by testing the DNA extracts from a panel of microorganisms that were either common fish pathogens or reported to cause false-positive reactions in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Kidney samples from 38 juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in a naturally infected population were examined by real-time qPCR, a nested PCR, and ELISA, and prevalences of R. salmoninarum detected were 71, 66, and 71%, respectively. The qPCR should be a valuable tool for evaluating the R. salmoninarum infection status of salmonids.

  6. Construction and EST sequencing of full-length, drought stress cDNA libraries for common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Common bean is an important legume crop with only a moderate number of short expressed sequence tags (ESTs) made with traditional methods. The goal of this research was to use full-length cDNA technology to develop ESTs that would overlap with the beginning of open reading frames and therefore be useful for gene annotation of genomic sequences. The library was also constructed to represent genes expressed under drought, low soil phosphorus and high soil aluminum toxicity. We also undertook comparisons of the full-length cDNA library to two previous non-full clone EST sets for common bean. Results Two full-length cDNA libraries were constructed: one for the drought tolerant Mesoamerican genotype BAT477 and the other one for the acid-soil tolerant Andean genotype G19833 which has been selected for genome sequencing. Plants were grown in three soil types using deep rooting cylinders subjected to drought and non-drought stress and tissues were collected from both roots and above ground parts. A total of 20,000 clones were selected robotically, half from each library. Then, nearly 10,000 clones from the G19833 library were sequenced with an average read length of 850 nucleotides. A total of 4,219 unigenes were identified consisting of 2,981 contigs and 1,238 singletons. These were functionally annotated with gene ontology terms and placed into KEGG pathways. Compared to other EST sequencing efforts in common bean, about half of the sequences were novel or represented the 5' ends of known genes. Conclusions The present full-length cDNA libraries add to the technological toolbox available for common bean and our sequencing of these clones substantially increases the number of unique EST sequences available for the common bean genome. All of this should be useful for both functional gene annotation, analysis of splice site variants and intron/exon boundary determination by comparison to soybean genes or with common bean whole-genome sequences. In addition the

  7. Incorporating spatial context into the analysis of salmonid habitat relations: Chapter 18

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Torgersen, Christian E.; Baxter, Colden V.; Ebersole, J.L.; Gresswell, Bob; Church, Michael; Biron, Pascale M.; Roy, Andre G.

    2012-01-01

    In this response to the chapter by Lapointe (this volume), we discuss the question of why it is so difficult to predict salmonid-habitat relations in gravel-bed rivers and streams. We acknowledge that this cannot be an exhaustive treatment of the subject and, thus, identify what we believe are several key issues that demonstrate the necessity of incorporating spatial context into the analysis of fish-habitat data. Our emphasis is on spatial context (i.e., scale and location), but it is important to note that the same principles may be applied with some modification to temporal context, which is beyond the scope of this chapter.

  8. Potential effects of climate change on streambed scour and risks to salmonid survival in snow-dominated mountain basins

    Treesearch

    Jaime R. Goode; John M. Buffington; Daniele Tonina; Daniel J. Isaak; Russell F. Thurow; Seth Wenger; David Nagel; Charlie Luce; Doerthe Tetzlaff; Chris Soulsby

    2013-01-01

    Snowmelt-dominated basins in northern latitudes provide critical habitat for salmonids. As such, these systems may be especially vulnerable to climate change because of potential shifts in the frequency, magnitude, and timing of flows that can scour incubating embryos. A general framework is presented to examine this issue, using a series of physical models that link...

  9. Predation on Pacific salmonid eggs and carcass's by subyearling Atlantic salmon in a tributary of Lake Ontario

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, James H.; Chalupnicki, Marc A.; Abbett, Ross; Verdoliva, Francis

    2016-01-01

    A binational effort to reintroduce Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that were extirpated in the Lake Ontario ecosystem for over a century is currently being undertaken by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Reintroduction actions include the release of several life stages including fry, fall fingerlings, and yearling smolts. In this study we describe the diet of recently released fall fingerling Atlantic salmon in a tributary of the Salmon River, New York. A specific objective of the study was to determine if juvenile Atlantic salmon would utilize the high caloric food source provided by introduced Pacific salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) that includes eggs and carcass flesh. Salmon eggs and carcass flesh comprised 20.5% of the October to January diet in 2013–14 and 23.9% in 2014–15. The consumption of steelhead (O. mykiss) eggs was a major part of the diet in April in both 2014 (54.1%) and 2015 (33.2%). This study documented that recently released Atlantic salmon will consume the high caloric food material provided by Pacific salmonids and that the consumption of this material extends for several months.

  10. Functional morphology and biomechanics of the tongue-bite apparatus in salmonid and osteoglossomorph fishes

    PubMed Central

    Camp, Ariel L; Konow, Nicolai; Sanford, Christopher P J

    2009-01-01

    The tongue-bite apparatus and its associated musculoskeletal elements of the pectoral girdle and neurocranium form the structural basis of raking, a unique prey-processing behaviour in salmonid and osteoglossomorph fishes. Using a quantitative approach, the functional osteology and myology of this system were compared between representatives of each lineage, i.e. the salmonid Salvelinus fontinalis (N =10) and the osteoglossomorph Chitala ornata(N = 8). Divergence was found in the morphology of the novel cleithrobranchial ligament, which potentially relates to kinematic differences between the raking lineage representatives. Salvelinus had greater anatomical cross-sectional areas of the epaxial, hypaxial and protractor hyoideus muscles, whereas Chitala had greater sternohyoideus and adductor mandibulae mass. Two osteology-based biomechanical models (a third-order lever for neurocranial elevation and a modified four-bar linkage for hyoid retraction) showed divergent force/velocity priorities in the study taxa. Salvelinus maximizes both force (via powerful cranial muscles) and velocity (through mechanical amplification) during raking. In contrast, Chitala has relatively low muscle force but more efficient force transmission through both mechanisms compared with Salvelinus. It remains unclear if and how behavioural modulation and specializations in the post-cranial anatomy may affect the force/velocity trade-offs in Chitala. Further studies of tongue-bite apparatus morphology and biomechanics in a broader species range may help to clarify the role that osteology and myology play in the evolution of behavioural diversity. PMID:19438765

  11. A review of factors influencing the availability of dissolved oxygen to incubating salmonid embryos

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greig, S. M.; Sear, D. A.; Carling, P. A.

    2007-01-01

    Previous investigations into factors influencing incubation success of salmonid progeny have largely been limited to the development of empirical relationships between characteristics of the incubation environment and survival to emergence. It is suggested that adopting a process-based approach to assessing incubation success aids identification of the precise causes of embryonic mortalities, and provides a robust framework for developing and implementing managerial responses.Identifying oxygen availability within the incubation environment as a limiting factor, a comprehensive review of trends in embryonic respiration, and processes influencing the flux of oxygenated water through gravel riverbeds is provided. The availability of oxygen to incubating salmonid embryos is dependent on the exchange of oxygenated water with the riverbed, and the ability of the riverbed gravel medium to transport this water at a rate and concentration appropriate to support embryonic respiratory requirements. Embryonic respiratory trends indicate that oxygen consumption varies with stage of development, ambient water temperature and oxygen availability. The flux of oxygenated water through the incubation environment is controlled by a complex interaction of intragravel and extragravel processes and factors. The processes driving the exchange of channel water with gravel riverbeds include bed topography, bed permeability, and surface roughness effects. The flux of oxygenated water through riverbed gravels is controlled by gravel permeability, coupling of surface-subsurface flow and oxygen demands imposed by materials infiltrating riverbed gravels. Temporally and spatially variable inputs of groundwater can also influence the oxygen concentration of interstitial water. Copyright

  12. Development and Characterization of 1,906 EST-SSR Markers from Unigenes in Jute (Corchorus spp.)

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Liwu; Li, Yanru; Tao, Aifen; Fang, Pingping; Qi, Jianmin

    2015-01-01

    Jute, comprising white and dark jute, is the second important natural fiber crop after cotton worldwide. However, the lack of expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers has resulted in a large gap in the improvement of jute. Previously, de novo 48,914 unigenes from white jute were assembled. In this study, 1,906 EST-SSRs were identified from these assembled uingenes. Among these markers, di-, tri- and tetra-nucleotide repeat types were the abundant types (12.0%, 56.9% and 21.6% respectively). The AG-rich or GA-rich nucleotide repeats were the predominant. Subsequently, a sample of 116 SSRs, located in genes encoding transcription factors and cellulose synthases, were selected to survey polymorphisms among12 diverse jute accessions. Of these, 83.6% successfully amplified at least one fragment and detected polymorphism among the 12diverse genotypes, indicating that the newly developed SSRs are of good quality. Furthermore, the genetic similarity coefficients of all the 12 accessions were evaluated using 97 polymorphic SSRs. The cluster analysis divided the jute accessions into two main groups with genetic similarity coefficient of 0.61. These EST-SSR markers not only enrich molecular markers of jute genome, but also facilitate genetic and genomic researches in jute. PMID:26512891

  13. PigGIS: Pig Genomic Informatics System

    PubMed Central

    Ruan, Jue; Guo, Yiran; Li, Heng; Hu, Yafeng; Song, Fei; Huang, Xin; Kristiensen, Karsten; Bolund, Lars; Wang, Jun

    2007-01-01

    Pig Genomic Information System (PigGIS) is a web-based depository of pig (Sus scrofa) genomic learning mainly engineered for biomedical research to locate pig genes from their human homologs and position single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different pig populations. It utilizes a variety of sequence data, including whole genome shotgun (WGS) reads and expressed sequence tags (ESTs), and achieves a successful mapping solution to the low-coverage genome problem. With the data presently available, we have identified a total of 15 700 pig consensus sequences covering 18.5 Mb of the homologous human exons. We have also recovered 18 700 SNPs and 20 800 unique 60mer oligonucleotide probes for future pig genome analyses. PigGIS can be freely accessed via the web at and . PMID:17090590

  14. Islands in the ice stream: were spawning habitats for native salmonids in the Great Lakes created by paleo-ice streams?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Riley, Stephen; Binder, Thomas R.; Tucker, Taaja R.; Menzies, John; Eyles, Nick; Janssen, John; Muir, Andrew M.; Esselman, Peter C.; Wattrus, Nigel J.; Krueger, Charles C.

    2016-01-01

    Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis and cisco Coregonus artedi are salmonid fishes native to the Laurentian Great Lakes that spawn on rocky substrates in the fall and early winter. After comparing the locations of spawning habitat for these species in the main basin of Lake Huron with surficial substrates and the hypothesized locations of fast-flowing Late Wisconsinan paleo-ice streams, we hypothesize that much of the spawning habitat for these species in Lake Huron is the result of deposition and erosion by paleo-ice streams. This hypothesis may represent a new framework for the identification and protection of spawning habitat for these native species, some of which are currently rare or extirpated in some of the Great Lakes. We further suggest that paleo-ice streams may have been responsible for the creation of native salmonid spawning habitat elsewhere in the Great Lakes and in other glaciated landscapes.

  15. Inhibitory activity of (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine on the salmonid herpesviruses, Oncorhynchus masou virus (OMV) and Herpesvirus salmonis.

    PubMed

    Kimura, T; Nishizawa, T; Yoshimizu, M; De Clercq, E

    1988-01-01

    The highly potent and selective anti-herpesvirus agent, (E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'deoxyuridine (BVdU), was examined for its inhibitory effect on the salmonid herpesviruses Oncorhynchus masou virus (OMV) and Herpesvirus salmonis (H. salmonis). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of BVdU for OMV and H. salmonis were 1.25 and 3.0 micrograms/ml, respectively; these values were equal to or higher than those obtained for acyclovir or cytarabine. OMV DNA polymerase activity was reduced in a dose-dependent fashion by BVdU 5'-triphosphate (BVdUTP) within the concentration range of 3 to 30 microM. However, BVdUTP could also be substituted for the natural substrate, TTP, in the OMV DNA polymerase assay. It is postulated that the inhibitory action of BVdU on the salmonid herpesviruses is more or less similar to that on other herpesviruses and resides with respect to the inhibition of the virus DNA polymerase activity as well as incorporation of BVdU into the viral DNA.

  16. System-Wide Significance of Predation on Juvenile Salmonids in the Columbia and Snake River Reservoirs : Annual Report of Research 1991.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shively, R.S.

    1991-01-01

    We indexed consumption rates of northern squawfish (Ptychoch oregonensis) preying upon juvenile salmonids in four lower Snake River reservoirs. Stomach contents were also collected from smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui), channel catfish (Ictaluris gunctatus), and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum). Northern squawfish digestive tracts were analyzed and the overall diet (% weight) was dominated by fish and crustaceans. Examination of stomach contents smallmouth bass showed that crustaceans (primarily crayfish) dominated their diets. Overall, the consumption rate of juvenile salmonids by smallmouth bass was low. The northern squawfish consumption index (CI) at Snake River locations ranged from zero at all mid-reservoir locations to 1.2more » at Lower Granite forebay. In John Day Reservoir, CI values ranged from 0.5 to 1.9 in May and from 0.9 to 3.0 in July. Consumption index values were highest in forebay and tailrace areas, and were slightly higher in BRZs than in non-restricted zones.« less

  17. The characterization of a new set of EST-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers as a resource for the genetic analysis of Phaseolus vulgaris

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Over recent years, a growing effort has been made to develop microsatellite markers for the genomic analysis of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) to broaden the knowledge of the molecular genetic basis of this species. The availability of large sets of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) in public databases has given rise to an expedient approach for the identification of SSRs (Simple Sequence Repeats), specifically EST-derived SSRs. In the present work, a battery of new microsatellite markers was obtained from a search of the Phaseolus vulgaris EST database. The diversity, degree of transferability and polymorphism of these markers were tested. Results From 9,583 valid ESTs, 4,764 had microsatellite motifs, from which 377 were used to design primers, and 302 (80.11%) showed good amplification quality. To analyze transferability, a group of 167 SSRs were tested, and the results showed that they were 82% transferable across at least one species. The highest amplification rates were observed between the species from the Phaseolus (63.7%), Vigna (25.9%), Glycine (19.8%), Medicago (10.2%), Dipterix (6%) and Arachis (1.8%) genera. The average PIC (Polymorphism Information Content) varied from 0.53 for genomic SSRs to 0.47 for EST-SSRs, and the average number of alleles per locus was 4 and 3, respectively. Among the 315 newly tested SSRs in the BJ (BAT93 X Jalo EEP558) population, 24% (76) were polymorphic. The integration of these segregant loci into a framework map composed of 123 previously obtained SSR markers yielded a total of 199 segregant loci, of which 182 (91.5%) were mapped to 14 linkage groups, resulting in a map length of 1,157 cM. Conclusions A total of 302 newly developed EST-SSR markers, showing good amplification quality, are available for the genetic analysis of Phaseolus vulgaris. These markers showed satisfactory rates of transferability, especially between species that have great economic and genomic values. Their diversity was comparable to

  18. Development and corroboration of a bioenergetics model for northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) feeding on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Petersen, J.H.; Ward, D.L.

    1999-01-01

    A bioenergetics model was developed and corroborated for northern pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis, an important predator on juvenile salmonids in the Pacific Northwest. Predictions of modeled predation rate on salmonids were compared with field data from three areas of John Day Reservoir (Columbia River). To make bioenergetics model estimates of predation rate, three methods were used to approximate the change in mass of average predators during 30-d growth periods: observed change in mass between the first and the second month, predicted change in mass calculated with seasonal growth rates, and predicted change in mass based on an annual growth model. For all reservoir areas combined, bioenergetics model predictions of predation on salmon were 19% lower than field estimates based on observed masses, 45% lower than estimates based on seasonal growth rates, and 15% lower than estimates based on the annual growth model. For each growth approach, the largest differences in field-versus-model predation occurred at the midreservoir area (-84% to -67% difference). Model predictions of the rate of predation on salmonids were examined for sensitivity to parameter variation, swimming speed, sampling bias caused by gear selectivity, and asymmetric size distributions of predators. The specific daily growth rate of northern pikeminnow predicted by the model was highest in July and October and decreased during August. The bioenergetics model for northern pikeminnow performed well compared with models for other fish species that have been tested with field data. This model should be a useful tool for evaluating management actions such as predator removal, examining the influence of temperature on predation rates, and exploring interactions between predators in the Columbia River basin.

  19. GDR (Genome Database for Rosaceae): integrated web-database for Rosaceae genomics and genetics data

    PubMed Central

    Jung, Sook; Staton, Margaret; Lee, Taein; Blenda, Anna; Svancara, Randall; Abbott, Albert; Main, Dorrie

    2008-01-01

    The Genome Database for Rosaceae (GDR) is a central repository of curated and integrated genetics and genomics data of Rosaceae, an economically important family which includes apple, cherry, peach, pear, raspberry, rose and strawberry. GDR contains annotated databases of all publicly available Rosaceae ESTs, the genetically anchored peach physical map, Rosaceae genetic maps and comprehensively annotated markers and traits. The ESTs are assembled to produce unigene sets of each genus and the entire Rosaceae. Other annotations include putative function, microsatellites, open reading frames, single nucleotide polymorphisms, gene ontology terms and anchored map position where applicable. Most of the published Rosaceae genetic maps can be viewed and compared through CMap, the comparative map viewer. The peach physical map can be viewed using WebFPC/WebChrom, and also through our integrated GDR map viewer, which serves as a portal to the combined genetic, transcriptome and physical mapping information. ESTs, BACs, markers and traits can be queried by various categories and the search result sites are linked to the mapping visualization tools. GDR also provides online analysis tools such as a batch BLAST/FASTA server for the GDR datasets, a sequence assembly server and microsatellite and primer detection tools. GDR is available at http://www.rosaceae.org. PMID:17932055

  20. Atlantic salmon populations reveal adaptive divergence of immune related genes - a duplicated genome under selection.

    PubMed

    Kjærner-Semb, Erik; Ayllon, Fernando; Furmanek, Tomasz; Wennevik, Vidar; Dahle, Geir; Niemelä, Eero; Ozerov, Mikhail; Vähä, Juha-Pekka; Glover, Kevin A; Rubin, Carl J; Wargelius, Anna; Edvardsen, Rolf B

    2016-08-11

    Populations of Atlantic salmon display highly significant genetic differences with unresolved molecular basis. These differences may result from separate postglacial colonization patterns, diversifying natural selection and adaptation, or a combination. Adaptation could be influenced or even facilitated by the recent whole genome duplication in the salmonid lineage which resulted in a partly tetraploid species with duplicated genes and regions. In order to elucidate the genes and genomic regions underlying the genetic differences, we conducted a genome wide association study using whole genome resequencing data from eight populations from Northern and Southern Norway. From a total of ~4.5 million sequencing-derived SNPs, more than 10 % showed significant differentiation between populations from these two regions and ten selective sweeps on chromosomes 5, 10, 11, 13-15, 21, 24 and 25 were identified. These comprised 59 genes, of which 15 had one or more differentiated missense mutation. Our analysis showed that most sweeps have paralogous regions in the partially tetraploid genome, each lacking the high number of significant SNPs found in the sweeps. The most significant sweep was found on Chr 25 and carried several missense mutations in the antiviral mx genes, suggesting that these populations have experienced differing viral pressures. Interestingly the second most significant sweep, found on Chr 5, contains two genes involved in the NF-KB pathway (nkap and nkrf), which is also a known pathogen target that controls a large number of processes in animals. Our results show that natural selection acting on immune related genes has contributed to genetic divergence between salmon populations in Norway. The differences between populations may have been facilitated by the plasticity of the salmon genome. The observed signatures of selection in duplicated genomic regions suggest that the recently duplicated genome has provided raw material for evolutionary adaptation.

  1. Infection experiments with novel Piscine orthoreovirus from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in salmonids

    PubMed Central

    Taksdal, Torunn; Olsen, Anne Berit; Wessel, Øystein; Mikkelsen, Susie Sommer; Alencar, Anna Luiza Farias; Olesen, Niels Jørgen

    2017-01-01

    A new disease in farmed rainbow trout (Onchorhyncus mykiss) was described in Norway in 2013. The disease mainly affected the heart and resembled heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). HSMI is associated with Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV), and a search for a similar virus in the diseased rainbow trout led to detection of a sequence with 85% similarity to PRV. This finding called for a targeted effort to assess the risk the new PRV-variant pose on farmed rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon by studying infection and disease pathogenesis, aiming to provide more diagnostic knowledge. Based on the genetic relationship to PRV, the novel virus is referred to as PRV-Oncorhynchus mykiss (PRV-Om) in contrast to PRV-Salmo salar (PRV-Ss). In experimental trials, intraperitoneally injected PRV-Om was shown to replicate in blood in both salmonid species, but more effectively in rainbow trout. In rainbow trout, the virus levels peaked in blood and heart of cohabitants 6 weeks post challenge, along with increased expression of antiviral genes (Mx and viperin) in the spleen, with 80–100% of the cohabitants infected. Heart inflammation was diagnosed in all cohabitants examined 8 weeks post challenge. In contrast, less than 50% of the Atlantic salmon cohabitants were infected between 8 and 16 weeks post challenge and the antiviral response in these fish was very low. From 12 weeks post challenge and onwards, mild focal myocarditis was demonstrated in a few virus-positive salmon. In conclusion, PRV-Om infects both salmonid species, but faster transmission, more notable antiviral response and more prominent heart pathology were observed in rainbow trout. PMID:28678799

  2. Construction of new EST-SSRs for Fusarium resistant wheat breeding.

    PubMed

    Yumurtaci, Aysen; Sipahi, Hulya; Al-Abdallat, Ayed; Jighly, Abdulqader; Baum, Michael

    2017-06-01

    Surveying Fusarium resistance in wheat with easy applicable molecular markers such as simple sequence repeats (SSRs) is a prerequest for molecular breeding. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are one of the main sources for development of new SSR candidates. Therefore, 18.292 publicly available wheat ESTs were mined and genotyping of newly developed 55 EST-SSR derived primer pairs produced clear fragments in ten wheat cultivars carrying different levels of Fusarium resistance. Among the proved markers, 23 polymorphic EST-SSRs were obtained and related alleles were mostly found on B and D genome. Based on the fragment profiling and similarity analysis, a 327bp amplicon, which was a product of contig 1207 (chromosome 5BL), was detected only in Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistant cultivars (CM82036 and Sumai) and the amino acid sequences showed a similarity to pathogen related proteins. Another FHB resistance related EST-SSR, Contig 556 (chromosome 1BL) produced a 151bp fragment in Sumai and was associated to wax2-like protein. A polymorphic 204bp fragment, derived from Contig 578 (chromosome 1DL), was generated from root rot (FRR) resistant cultivars (2-49; Altay2000 and Sunco). A total of 98 alleles were displayed with an average of 1.8 alleles per locus and the polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.11 to 0.78. Dendrogram tree with two main and five sub-groups were displayed the highest genetic relationship between FRR resistant cultivars (2-49 and Altay2000), FRR sensitive cultivars (Seri82 and Scout66) and FHB resistant cultivars (CM82036 and Sumai). Thus, exploitation of these candidate EST-SSRs may help to genotype other wheat sources for Fusarium resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Leveraging the rice genome sequence for monocot comparative and translational genomics.

    PubMed

    Lohithaswa, H C; Feltus, F A; Singh, H P; Bacon, C D; Bailey, C D; Paterson, A H

    2007-07-01

    Common genome anchor points across many taxa greatly facilitate translational and comparative genomics and will improve our understanding of the Tree of Life. To add to the repertoire of genomic tools applicable to the study of monocotyledonous plants in general, we aligned Allium and Musa ESTs to Oryza BAC sequences and identified candidate Allium-Oryza and Musa-Oryza conserved intron-scanning primers (CISPs). A random sampling of 96 CISP primer pairs, representing loci from 11 of the 12 chromosomes in rice, were tested on seven members of the order Poales and on representatives of the Arecales, Asparagales, and Zingiberales monocot orders. The single-copy amplification success rates of Allium (31.3%), Cynodon (31.4%), Hordeum (30.2%), Musa (37.5%), Oryza (61.5%), Pennisetum (33.3%), Sorghum (47.9%), Zea (33.3%), Triticum (30.2%), and representatives of the palm family (32.3%) suggest that subsets of these primers will provide DNA markers suitable for comparative and translational genomics in orphan crops, as well as for applications in conservation biology, ecology, invasion biology, population biology, systematic biology, and related fields.

  4. Effectiveness of a redesigned water diversion using rock vortex weirs to enhance longitudinal connectivity for small Salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martens, Kyle D.; Connolly, Patrick J.

    2010-01-01

    For nearly 100 years, water diversions have affected fish passage in Beaver Creek, a tributary of the lower Methow River in north-central Washington State. From 2000 to 2004, four dam-style water diversions were replaced with a series of rock vortex weirs (RVWs). The weirs were designed to allow fish passage while maintaining the ability to divert water into irrigation canals. We observed the new appearance of three species (juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, juvenile coho salmon O. kisutch, and mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni) upstream of the RVWs, indicating successful restoration of longitudinal connectivity. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and instream PIT tag interrogation systems during 2004–2007 to evaluate upstream passage of small salmonids (<240 mm fork length) through one series of RVWs. We documented 109 upstream passage events by small salmonids through the series of RVWs; most of the events (81%) involved passage of rainbow trout O. mykiss or juvenile steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout). Small rainbow trout or steelhead ranging from 86 to 238 mm (adjusted fork length) were able to pass upstream through the RVWs, although a delay in fish passage at discharges below 0.32 m3/s was detected in comparison with nearby control sections.

  5. Hydroacoustic Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Passage at The Dalles Dam Sluiceway, 2005

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, Gary E.; Khan, Fenton; Hedgepeth, J

    2006-06-01

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District engaged the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to evaluate fish passage at The Dalles Dam powerhouse in 2005. The goal of the study was to provide information on smolt passage that will inform decisions on long-term measures and operations to enhance sluiceway passage and reduce turbine passage to improve smolt survival at the dam. The study addressed one of the main programs dedicated to improving juvenile salmonid survival at The Dalles Dam: Surface Flow Bypass. The study objectives (see below) were met using a combination of hydroacoustic and hydraulic data. The study incorporatedmore » fixed-location hydroacoustic methods across the entire powerhouse, with especially intense sampling using multiple split-beam transducers at all sluiceway portals. We did not sample fish passage at the spillway in 2005. In the sluiceway nearfield, we used an acoustic camera to track fish movements. The fish data were interpreted with hydraulic data from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Fish passage data were collected in the framework of an “experiment” using a randomized block design (3-day treatments; two treatments) to compare two sluiceway operational configurations: Sluice 2+5 and Sluice 2+19 (six gates open for each configuration). Total project outflow was 76% of the 10-year average for spring and 71% of the 10-year average for summer. Based on these findings, we make the following recommendations: 1) The sluice should be operated 24 h/d from April until November. 2) Open six rather than three sluice gates to take advantage of the maximum hydraulic capacity of the sluiceway. 3) Open the three gates above the western-most operating main turbine unit and the three gates at MU 8 where turbine passage rates are relatively high. 4) Operate the turbine units below open sluice gates as a standard fish operations procedure. 5) Develop hydraulic and entrance enhancements to the sluiceway to tap the potential of

  6. EST databases and web tools for EST projects.

    PubMed

    Shen, Yao-Qing; O'Brien, Emmet; Koski, Liisa; Lang, B Franz; Burger, Gertraud

    2009-01-01

    This chapter outlines key considerations for constructing and implementing an EST database. Instead of showing the technological details step by step, emphasis is put on the design of an EST database suited to the specific needs of EST projects and how to choose the most suitable tools. Using TBestDB as an example, we illustrate the essential factors to be considered for database construction and the steps for data population and annotation. This process employs technologies such as PostgreSQL, Perl, and PHP to build the database and interface, and tools such as AutoFACT for data processing and annotation. We discuss these in comparison to other available technologies and tools, and explain the reasons for our choices.

  7. Comparative evaluation of molecular diagnostic tests for Nucleospora salmonis and prevalence in migrating juvenile salmonids from the Snake River, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Badil, Samantha; Elliott, Diane G.; Kurobe, Tomofumi; Hedrick, Ronald P.; Clemens, Kathy; Blair, Marilyn; Purcell, Maureen K.

    2011-01-01

    Nucleospora salmonis is an intranuclear microsporidian that primarily infects lymphoblast cells and contributes to chronic lymphoblastosis and a leukemia-like condition in a range of salmonid species. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of N. salmonis in out-migrating juvenile hatchery and wild Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and steelhead O. mykiss from the Snake River in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. To achieve this goal, we first addressed the following concerns about current molecular diagnostic tests for N. salmonis: (1) nonspecific amplification patterns by the published nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) test, (2) incomplete validation of the published quantitative PCR (qPCR) test, and (3) whether N. salmonis can be detected reliably from nonlethal samples. Here, we present an optimized nPCR protocol that eliminates nonspecific amplification. During validation of the published qPCR test, our laboratory developed a second qPCR test that targeted a different gene sequence and used different probe chemistry for comparison purposes. We simultaneously evaluated the two different qPCR tests for N. salmonis and found that both assays were highly specific, sensitive, and repeatable. The nPCR and qPCR tests had good overall concordance when DNA samples derived from both apparently healthy and clinically diseased hatchery rainbow trout were tested. Finally, we demonstrated that gill snips were a suitable tissue for nonlethal detection of N. salmonis DNA in juvenile salmonids. Monitoring of juvenile salmonid fish in the Snake River over a 3-year period revealed low prevalence of N. salmonis in hatchery and wild Chinook salmon and wild steelhead but significantly higher prevalence in hatchery-derived steelhead. Routine monitoring of N. salmonis is not performed for all hatchery steelhead populations. At present, the possible contribution of this pathogen to delayed mortality of steelhead has not been determined.

  8. Genomic resources in fruit plants: an assessment of current status.

    PubMed

    Rai, Manoj K; Shekhawat, N S

    2015-01-01

    The availability of many genomic resources such as genome sequences, functional genomics resources including microarrays and RNA-seq, sufficient numbers of molecular markers, express sequence tags (ESTs) and high-density genetic maps is causing a rapid acceleration of genetics and genomic research of many fruit plants. This is leading to an increase in our knowledge of the genes that are linked to many horticultural and agronomically important traits. Recently, some progress has also been made on the identification and functional analysis of miRNAs in some fruit plants. This is one of the most active research fields in plant sciences. The last decade has witnessed development of genomic resources in many fruit plants such as apple, banana, citrus, grapes, papaya, pears, strawberry etc.; however, many of them are still not being exploited. Furthermore, owing to lack of resources, infrastructure and research facilities in many lesser-developed countries, development of genomic resources in many underutilized or less-studied fruit crops, which grow in these countries, is limited. Thus, research emphasis should be given to those fruit crops for which genomic resources are relatively scarce. The development of genomic databases of these less-studied fruit crops will enable biotechnologists to identify target genes that underlie key horticultural and agronomical traits. This review presents an overview of the current status of the development of genomic resources in fruit plants with the main emphasis being on genome sequencing, EST resources, functional genomics resources including microarray and RNA-seq, identification of quantitative trait loci and construction of genetic maps as well as efforts made on the identification and functional analysis of miRNAs in fruit plants.

  9. Ichthyophonus-induced cardiac damage: a mechanism for reduced swimming stamina in salmonids.

    PubMed

    Kocan, R; Lapatra, S; Gregg, J; Winton, J; Hershberger, P

    2006-09-01

    Swimming stamina, measured as time-to-fatigue, was reduced by approximately two-thirds in rainbow trout experimentally infected with Ichthyophonus. Intensity of Ichthyophonus infection was most severe in cardiac muscle but multiple organs were infected to a lesser extent. The mean heart weight of infected fish was 40% greater than that of uninfected fish, the result of parasite biomass, infiltration of immune cells and fibrotic (granuloma) tissue surrounding the parasite. Diminished swimming stamina is hypothesized to be due to cardiac failure resulting from the combination of parasite-damaged heart muscle and low myocardial oxygen supply during sustained aerobic exercise. Loss of stamina in Ichthyophonus-infected salmonids could explain the poor performance previously reported for wild Chinook and sockeye salmon stocks during their spawning migration.

  10. AntiHunter 2.0: increased speed and sensitivity in searching BLAST output for EST antisense transcripts.

    PubMed

    Lavorgna, Giovanni; Triunfo, Riccardo; Santoni, Federico; Orfanelli, Ugo; Noci, Sara; Bulfone, Alessandro; Zanetti, Gianluigi; Casari, Giorgio

    2005-07-01

    An increasing number of eukaryotic and prokaryotic genes are being found to have natural antisense transcripts (NATs). There is also growing evidence to suggest that antisense transcription could play a key role in many human diseases. Consequently, there have been several recent attempts to set up computational procedures aimed at identifying novel NATs. Our group has developed the AntiHunter program for the identification of expressed sequence tag (EST) antisense transcripts from BLAST output. In order to perform an analysis, the program requires a genomic sequence plus an associated list of transcript names and coordinates of the genomic region. After masking the repeated regions, the program carries out a BLASTN search of this sequence in the selected EST database, reporting via email the EST entries that reveal an antisense transcript according to the user-supplied list. Here, we present the newly developed version 2.0 of the AntiHunter tool. Several improvements have been added to this version of the program in order to increase its ability to detect a larger number of antisense ESTs. As a result, AntiHunter can now detect, on average, >45% more antisense ESTs with little or no increase in the percentage of the false positives. We also raised the maximum query size to 3 Mb (previously 1 Mb). Moreover, we found that a reasonable trade-off between the program search sensitivity and the maximum allowed size of the input-query sequence could be obtained by querying the database with the MEGABLAST program, rather than by using the BLAST one. We now offer this new opportunity to users, i.e. if choosing the MEGABLAST option, users can input a query sequence up to 30 Mb long, thus considerably improving the possibility to analyze longer query regions. The AntiHunter tool is freely available at http://bioinfo.crs4.it/AH2.0.

  11. Development of Genic and Genomic SSR Markers of Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre Ex A. Froehner)

    PubMed Central

    Hendre, Prasad S.; Aggarwal, Ramesh K.

    2014-01-01

    Coffee breeding and improvement efforts can be greatly facilitated by availability of a large repository of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) based microsatellite markers, which provides efficiency and high-resolution in genetic analyses. This study was aimed to improve SSR availability in coffee by developing new genic−/genomic-SSR markers using in-silico bioinformatics and streptavidin-biotin based enrichment approach, respectively. The expressed sequence tag (EST) based genic microsatellite markers (EST-SSRs) were developed using the publicly available dataset of 13,175 unigene ESTs, which showed a distribution of 1 SSR/3.4 kb of coffee transcriptome. Genomic SSRs, on the other hand, were developed from an SSR-enriched small-insert partial genomic library of robusta coffee. In total, 69 new SSRs (44 EST-SSRs and 25 genomic SSRs) were developed and validated as suitable genetic markers. Diversity analysis of selected coffee genotypes revealed these to be highly informative in terms of allelic diversity and PIC values, and eighteen of these markers (∼27%) could be mapped on a robusta linkage map. Notably, the markers described here also revealed a very high cross-species transferability. In addition to the validated markers, we have also designed primer pairs for 270 putative EST-SSRs, which are expected to provide another ca. 200 useful genetic markers considering the high success rate (88%) of marker conversion of similar pairs tested/validated in this study. PMID:25461752

  12. Understanding the influence of predation by introduced fishes on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River Basin: Closing some knowledge gaps. Interim Report of Research 2010

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rose, Brien P.; Hansen, Gabriel S.; Mesa, Matthew G.

    2011-01-01

    In response to these recent concerns about the potential predatory impact of non-native piscivores on salmon survival, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (CBFWA) co-hosted a workshop to address predation on juvenile salmonids in the CRB by non-native fish (Halton 2008). The purpose of the workshop was to review, evaluate, and develop strategies to reduce predation by non-native fishes on juvenile salmonids. In the end, discussion at the workshop and at subsequent meetings considered two potential ideas to reduce predation by non-native fish on juvenile salmonids; (1) understanding the role of juvenile American shad Alosa sapidissima in the diet of non-native predators in the fall; and (2) the effects of localized, intense reductions of smallmouth bass in areas of particularly high salmonid predation. In this report, we describe initial efforts to understand the influence of juvenile American shad as a prey item for introduced predators in the middle Columbia River. Our first objective, addressed in Chapter 1, was to evaluate the efficacy of nonlethal methods to describe the physiological condition of smallmouth bass, walleye, and channel catfish from late summer through late fall. Such information will be used to understand the contribution of juvenile American shad to the energy reserves of predaceous fish prior to winter. In Chapter 2, we describe the results of some limited sampling to document the food habits of smallmouth bass, walleye, and channel catfish in three reservoirs of the middle Columbia River during late fall. Collectively, we hope to increase our understanding of the contribution of juvenile American shad to the diets of introduced predators and the contribution of this diet to their energy reserves, growth, and perhaps over-winter survival. Managers should be able to use this information for deciding whether to control the population of American shad in the CRB or for managing introduced

  13. Comparative high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and development of SiESTa, the Silene EST annotation database

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background The genus Silene is widely used as a model system for addressing ecological and evolutionary questions in plants, but advances in using the genus as a model system are impeded by the lack of available resources for studying its genome. Massively parallel sequencing cDNA has recently developed into an efficient method for characterizing the transcriptomes of non-model organisms, generating massive amounts of data that enable the study of multiple species in a comparative framework. The sequences generated provide an excellent resource for identifying expressed genes, characterizing functional variation and developing molecular markers, thereby laying the foundations for future studies on gene sequence and gene expression divergence. Here, we report the results of a comparative transcriptome sequencing study of eight individuals representing four Silene and one Dianthus species as outgroup. All sequences and annotations have been deposited in a newly developed and publicly available database called SiESTa, the Silene EST annotation database. Results A total of 1,041,122 EST reads were generated in two runs on a Roche GS-FLX 454 pyrosequencing platform. EST reads were analyzed separately for all eight individuals sequenced and were assembled into contigs using TGICL. These were annotated with results from BLASTX searches and Gene Ontology (GO) terms, and thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were characterized. Unassembled reads were kept as singletons and together with the contigs contributed to the unigenes characterized in each individual. The high quality of unigenes is evidenced by the proportion (49%) that have significant hits in similarity searches with the A. thaliana proteome. The SiESTa database is accessible at http://www.siesta.ethz.ch. Conclusion The sequence collections established in the present study provide an important genomic resource for four Silene and one Dianthus species and will help to further develop Silene as a

  14. EST-PAC a web package for EST annotation and protein sequence prediction

    PubMed Central

    Strahm, Yvan; Powell, David; Lefèvre, Christophe

    2006-01-01

    With the decreasing cost of DNA sequencing technology and the vast diversity of biological resources, researchers increasingly face the basic challenge of annotating a larger number of expressed sequences tags (EST) from a variety of species. This typically consists of a series of repetitive tasks, which should be automated and easy to use. The results of these annotation tasks need to be stored and organized in a consistent way. All these operations should be self-installing, platform independent, easy to customize and amenable to using distributed bioinformatics resources available on the Internet. In order to address these issues, we present EST-PAC a web oriented multi-platform software package for expressed sequences tag (EST) annotation. EST-PAC provides a solution for the administration of EST and protein sequence annotations accessible through a web interface. Three aspects of EST annotation are automated: 1) searching local or remote biological databases for sequence similarities using Blast services, 2) predicting protein coding sequence from EST data and, 3) annotating predicted protein sequences with functional domain predictions. In practice, EST-PAC integrates the BLASTALL suite, EST-Scan2 and HMMER in a relational database system accessible through a simple web interface. EST-PAC also takes advantage of the relational database to allow consistent storage, powerful queries of results and, management of the annotation process. The system allows users to customize annotation strategies and provides an open-source data-management environment for research and education in bioinformatics. PMID:17147782

  15. Curation of microarray oligonucleotides and corresponding ESTs/cDNAs used for gene expression analysis in zebra finches.

    PubMed

    Lovell, Peter V; Huizinga, Nicole A; Getachew, Abel; Mees, Brianna; Friedrich, Samantha R; Wirthlin, Morgan; Mello, Claudio V

    2018-05-18

    Zebra finches are a major model organism for investigating mechanisms of vocal learning, a trait that enables spoken language in humans. The development of cDNA collections with expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and microarrays has allowed for extensive molecular characterizations of circuitry underlying vocal learning and production. However, poor database curation can lead to errors in transcriptome and bioinformatics analyses, limiting the impact of these resources. Here we used genomic alignments and synteny analysis for orthology verification to curate and reannotate ~ 35% of the oligonucleotides and corresponding ESTs/cDNAs that make-up Agilent microarrays for gene expression analysis in finches. We found that: (1) 5475 out of 43,084 oligos (a) failed to align to the zebra finch genome, (b) aligned to multiple loci, or (c) aligned to Chr_un only, and thus need to be flagged until a better genome assembly is available, or (d) reflect cloning artifacts; (2) Out of 9635 valid oligos examined further, 3120 were incorrectly named, including 1533 with no known orthologs; and (3) 2635 oligos required name update. The resulting curated dataset provides a reference for correcting gene identification errors in previous finch microarrays studies, and avoiding such errors in future studies.

  16. Transcriptome analysis of the desert locust central nervous system: production and annotation of a Schistocerca gregaria EST database.

    PubMed

    Badisco, Liesbeth; Huybrechts, Jurgen; Simonet, Gert; Verlinden, Heleen; Marchal, Elisabeth; Huybrechts, Roger; Schoofs, Liliane; De Loof, Arnold; Vanden Broeck, Jozef

    2011-03-21

    The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) displays a fascinating type of phenotypic plasticity, designated as 'phase polyphenism'. Depending on environmental conditions, one genome can be translated into two highly divergent phenotypes, termed the solitarious and gregarious (swarming) phase. Although many of the underlying molecular events remain elusive, the central nervous system (CNS) is expected to play a crucial role in the phase transition process. Locusts have also proven to be interesting model organisms in a physiological and neurobiological research context. However, molecular studies in locusts are hampered by the fact that genome/transcriptome sequence information available for this branch of insects is still limited. We have generated 34,672 raw expressed sequence tags (EST) from the CNS of desert locusts in both phases. These ESTs were assembled in 12,709 unique transcript sequences and nearly 4,000 sequences were functionally annotated. Moreover, the obtained S. gregaria EST information is highly complementary to the existing orthopteran transcriptomic data. Since many novel transcripts encode neuronal signaling and signal transduction components, this paper includes an overview of these sequences. Furthermore, several transcripts being differentially represented in solitarious and gregarious locusts were retrieved from this EST database. The findings highlight the involvement of the CNS in the phase transition process and indicate that this novel annotated database may also add to the emerging knowledge of concomitant neuronal signaling and neuroplasticity events. In summary, we met the need for novel sequence data from desert locust CNS. To our knowledge, we hereby also present the first insect EST database that is derived from the complete CNS. The obtained S. gregaria EST data constitute an important new source of information that will be instrumental in further unraveling the molecular principles of phase polyphenism, in further establishing

  17. Pilot survey of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium vivax in human patients.

    PubMed

    Merino, Emilio F; Fernandez-Becerra, Carmen; Madeira, Alda M B N; Machado, Ariane L; Durham, Alan; Gruber, Arthur; Hall, Neil; del Portillo, Hernando A

    2003-07-21

    Plasmodium vivax is the most widely distributed human malaria, responsible for 70-80 million clinical cases each year and large socio-economical burdens for countries such as Brazil where it is the most prevalent species. Unfortunately, due to the impossibility of growing this parasite in continuous in vitro culture, research on P. vivax remains largely neglected. A pilot survey of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the asexual blood stages of P. vivax was performed. To do so, 1,184 clones from a cDNA library constructed with parasites obtained from 10 different human patients in the Brazilian Amazon were sequenced. Sequences were automatedly processed to remove contaminants and low quality reads. A total of 806 sequences with an average length of 586 bp met such criteria and their clustering revealed 666 distinct events. The consensus sequence of each cluster and the unique sequences of the singlets were used in similarity searches against different databases that included P. vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium yoelii, Plasmodium knowlesi, Apicomplexa and the GenBank non-redundant database. An E-value of <10(-30) was used to define a significant database match. ESTs were manually assigned a gene ontology (GO) terminology A total of 769 ESTs could be assigned a putative identity based upon sequence similarity to known proteins in GenBank. Moreover, 292 ESTs were annotated and a GO terminology was assigned to 164 of them. These are the first ESTs reported for P. vivax and, as such, they represent a valuable resource to assist in the annotation of the P. vivax genome currently being sequenced. Moreover, since the GC-content of the P. vivax genome is strikingly different from that of P. falciparum, these ESTs will help in the validation of gene predictions for P. vivax and to create a gene index of this malaria parasite.

  18. Genetic characterization of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus of coastal salmonid stocks in Washington State

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Emmenegger, E.J.; Kurath, G.

    2002-01-01

    Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is a pathogen that infects many Pacific salmonid stocks from the watersheds of North America. Previous studies have thoroughly characterized the genetic diversity of IHNV isolates from Alaska and the Hagerman Valley in Idaho. To enhance understanding of the evolution and viral transmission patterns of IHNV within the Pacific Northwest geographic range, we analyzed the G gene of IHNV isolates from the coastal watersheds of Washington State by ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) and nucleotide sequencing. The RPA analysis of 23 isolates indicated that the Skagit basin IHNV isolates were relatively homogeneous as a result of the dominance of one G gene haplotype (S). Sequence analysis of 303 bases in the middle of the G gene (midG region) of 61 isolates confirmed the high frequency of a Skagit River basin sequence and identified another sequence commonly found in isolates from the Lake Washington basin. Overall, both the RPA and sequence analysis showed that the Washington coastal IHNV isolates are genetically homogeneous and have little genetic diversity. This is similar to the genetic diversity pattern of IHNV from Alaska and contrasts sharply with the high genetic diversity demonstrated for IHNV isolates from fish farms along the Snake River in Idaho. The high degree of sequence and haplotype similarity between the Washington coastal IHNV isolates and those from Alaska and British Columbia suggests that they have a common viral ancestor. Phylogenetic analyses of the isolates we studied and those from different regions throughout the virus's geographic range confirms a conserved pattern of evolution of the virus in salmonid stocks north of the Columbia River, which forms Washington's southern border.

  19. The complete genome structure and phylogenetic relationship of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Morzunov , Sergey P.; Winton, James R.; Nichol, Stuart T.

    1995-01-01

    Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), a member of the family Rhabdoviridae, causes a severe disease with high mortality in salmonid fish. The nucleotide sequence (11, 131 bases) of the entire genome was determined for the pathogenic WRAC strain of IHNV from southern Idaho. This allowed detailed analysis of all 6 genes, the deduced amino acid sequences of their encoded proteins, and important control motifs including leader, trailer and gene junction regions. Sequence analysis revealed that the 6 virus genes are located along the genome in the 3′ to 5′ order: nucleocapsid (N), polymerase-associated phosphoprotein (P or M1), matrix protein (M or M2), surface glycoprotein (G), a unique non-virion protein (NV) and virus polymerase (L). The IHNV genome RNA was found to have highly complementary termini (15 of 16 nucleotides). The gene junction regions display the highly conserved sequence UCURUC(U)7RCCGUG(N)4CACR (in the vRNA sense), which includes the typical rhabdovirus transcription termination/polyadenylation signal and a novel putative transcription initiation signal. Phylogenetic analysis of M, G and L protein sequences allowed insights into the evolutionary and taxonomic relationship of rhabdoviruses of fish relative to those of insects or mammals, and a broader sense of the relationship of non-segmented negative-strand RNA viruses. Based on these data, a new genus, piscivirus, is proposed which will initially contain IHNV, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus and Hirame rhabdovirus.

  20. Salmonid Gamete Preservation in the Snake River Basin, 2001 Annual Report.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Armstrong, Robyn; Kucera, Paul

    2002-06-01

    Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations in the Northwest are decreasing. Genetic diversity is being lost at an alarming rate. Along with reduced population and genetic variability, the loss of biodiversity means a diminished environmental adaptability. The Nez Perce Tribe (Tribe) strives to ensure availability of genetic samples of the existing male salmonid population by establishing and maintaining a germplasm repository. The sampling strategy, initiated in 1992, has been to collect and preserve male salmon and steelhead genetic diversity across the geographic landscape by sampling within the major river subbasins in the Snake River basin, assuming amore » metapopulation structure existed historically. Gamete cryopreservation conserves genetic diversity in a germplasm repository, but is not a recovery action for listed fish species. The Tribe was funded in 2001 by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) to coordinate gene banking of male gametes from Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed steelhead and spring and summer chinook salmon in the Snake River basin. In 2001, a total of 398 viable chinook salmon semen samples from the Lostine River, Catherine Creek, upper Grande Ronde River, Lookingglass Hatchery (Imnaha River stock), Lake Creek, the South Fork Salmon River weir, Johnson Creek, Big Creek, Capehorn Creek, Marsh Creek, Pahsimeroi Hatchery, and Sawtooth Hatchery (upper Salmon River stock) were cryopreserved. Also, 295 samples of male steelhead gametes from Dworshak Hatchery, Fish Creek, Grande Ronde River, Little Sheep Creek, Pahsimeroi Hatchery and Oxbow Hatchery were also cryopreserved. The Grande Ronde chinook salmon captive broodstock program stores 680 cryopreserved samples at the University of Idaho as a long-term archive, half of the total samples. A total of 3,206 cryopreserved samples from Snake River basin

  1. A resource of single-nucleotide polymorphisms for rainbow trout generated by restriction-site associated DNA sequencing of doubled haploids

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Salmonid genomes are considered to be in a pseudo-tetraploid state as a result of an evolutionarily recent genome duplication event. This situation complicates single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery in rainbow trout as many putative SNPs are actually paralogous sequence variants (PSVs) and ...

  2. Strand-specific, real-time RT-PCR assays for quantification of genomic and positive-sense RNAs of the fish rhabdovirus, Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Purcell, Maureen K.; Hart, S. Alexandra; Kurath, Gael; Winton, James R.

    2006-01-01

    The fish rhabdovirus, Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), is an important pathogen of salmonids. Cell culture assays have traditionally been used to quantify levels of IHNV in samples; however, real-time or quantitative RT-PCR assays have been proposed as a rapid alternative. For viruses having a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA genome, standard qRT-PCR assays do not distinguish between the negative-sense genome and positive-sense RNA species including mRNA and anti-genome. Thus, these methods do not determine viral genome copy number. This study reports development of strand-specific, qRT-PCR assays that use tagged primers for enhancing strand specificity during cDNA synthesis and quantitative PCR. Protocols were developed for positive-strand specific (pss-qRT-PCR) and negative-strand specific (nss-qRT-PCR) assays for IHNV glycoprotein (G) gene sequences. Validation with synthetic RNA transcripts demonstrated the assays could discriminate the correct strand with greater than 1000-fold fidelity. The number of genome copies in livers of IHNV-infected fish determined by nss-qRT-PCR was, on average, 8000-fold greater than the number of infectious units as determined by plaque assay. We also compared the number of genome copies with the quantity of positive-sense RNA and determined that the ratio of positive-sense molecules to negative-sense genome copies was, on average, 2.7:1. Potential future applications of these IHNV strand-specific qRT-PCR assays are discussed.

  3. Distribution and status of seven native salmonids in the interior Columbia River basin and portions of the Klamath River and Great basins

    Treesearch

    Russell F. Thurow; Danny C. Lee; Bruce E. Rieman

    1997-01-01

    We summarized presence, absence, current status, and potential historical distribution of seven native salmonid taxa - bull trout Salvelinus confluentus, Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri, westslope cutthroat trout O. c. lewisi, redband trout and steelhead O. mykiss gairdneri, stream type (age-1 migrant) chinook salmon O. tshawytscha. and ocean...

  4. Biochemical and antigenic properties of the first isolates of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus from salmonid fish in Europe

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Arkush, K.D.; Bovo, G.; DeKinkelin, P.; Winton, J.R.; Wingfield, W.H.; Hedrick, R.P.

    1989-01-01

    The first isolates of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) recovered from rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (formerly Salmo gairdneri) in France and Italy were compared to six representative strains from North America by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of virion polypeptides and neutralization by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). All three IHNV isolates from Europe had similar polypeptide profiles when compared by SDS-PAGE. An analysis of the antigenic relatedness of the European isolates to representative strains from North America showed that they were clearly different from viruses obtained from salmonids in California. The RB/B5 MAb, which was developed against virus isolated from adult steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout) reared in central Oregon, neutralized all isolates examined. The 193–110/B4 MAb, developed against IHNV isolated from infected yearling rainbow trout in southern Idaho, neutralized all isolates tested except those from California. The SRCV/A4 MAb, developed against Sacramento River chinook virus (SRCV) isolated from adult spring chinook salmon O. tshawytscha in central California, was the least reactive, and strong neutralization was observed only with the SRCV strain of IHNV from California. However, partial reactivity of the virus isolates from France with the SRCV/A4 MAb distinguished them from the virus recovered from salmonids in Italy.

  5. ESTuber db: an online database for Tuber borchii EST sequences.

    PubMed

    Lazzari, Barbara; Caprera, Andrea; Cosentino, Cristian; Stella, Alessandra; Milanesi, Luciano; Viotti, Angelo

    2007-03-08

    The ESTuber database (http://www.itb.cnr.it/estuber) includes 3,271 Tuber borchii expressed sequence tags (EST). The dataset consists of 2,389 sequences from an in-house prepared cDNA library from truffle vegetative hyphae, and 882 sequences downloaded from GenBank and representing four libraries from white truffle mycelia and ascocarps at different developmental stages. An automated pipeline was prepared to process EST sequences using public software integrated by in-house developed Perl scripts. Data were collected in a MySQL database, which can be queried via a php-based web interface. Sequences included in the ESTuber db were clustered and annotated against three databases: the GenBank nr database, the UniProtKB database and a third in-house prepared database of fungi genomic sequences. An algorithm was implemented to infer statistical classification among Gene Ontology categories from the ontology occurrences deduced from the annotation procedure against the UniProtKB database. Ontologies were also deduced from the annotation of more than 130,000 EST sequences from five filamentous fungi, for intra-species comparison purposes. Further analyses were performed on the ESTuber db dataset, including tandem repeats search and comparison of the putative protein dataset inferred from the EST sequences to the PROSITE database for protein patterns identification. All the analyses were performed both on the complete sequence dataset and on the contig consensus sequences generated by the EST assembly procedure. The resulting web site is a resource of data and links related to truffle expressed genes. The Sequence Report and Contig Report pages are the web interface core structures which, together with the Text search utility and the Blast utility, allow easy access to the data stored in the database.

  6. Investigating the Geomorphic and Ecologic Functions of Wood in Relationship to Habitat Type and Salmonid Redds on a Regulated California River

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Senter, A. E.; Pasternack, G. B.

    2006-12-01

    Most river rehabilitation projects incorporate little to no wood in current designs, and those that do have little science to guide them. The overall goal of this research is to investigate the role of wood in a regulated, mid- sized (where river width is greater than most tree heights), Mediterranean-climate (where smaller, softer-wood trees dominate the landscape) river in order to provide a scientific foundation for the potential use of wood in rehabilitation projects within such systems. Wood structures in the active salmonid spawning reach of the Lower Mokelumne River in Central California were measured, mapped, and described during summer and fall 2006. Digital photos and GPS coordinates were used to establish wood location within the stream channel. Structural morphology was determined by measuring physical properties such as individual diameter and length, orientation to stream flow, and jam dimensions. In addition, qualitative attributes were recorded such as decay class and leaf, limb, bark, and root characteristics. A GIS wood layer will be created and added to a database of existing Mokelumne River GIS layers containing salmonid redd (salmon egg nests) densities, hydraulic conditions associated with individual redds, and sub-reach habitat types. An analysis of wood properties, redd locations and conditions, and habitat types will be used to develop a conceptual model of wood dynamics in relation to salmonid habitat on the Lower Mokelumne River. The primary products of this study will be (1) a scientific conceptual model of the role of wood in regulated gravel reaches of mid-size rivers in Mediterranean California and (2) a decision-making framework that will enable river managers to include scientifically based wood structures into rehabilitation designs, thereby enhancing spawning habitat, stream complexity, and biological diversity. These tools will be developed in collaboration with East Bay Municipal Utilities District to aid in the continuing

  7. Using Satellite Tracking and Isotopic Information to Characterize the Impact of South American Sea Lions on Salmonid Aquaculture in Southern Chile.

    PubMed

    Sepúlveda, Maritza; Newsome, Seth D; Pavez, Guido; Oliva, Doris; Costa, Daniel P; Hückstädt, Luis A

    2015-01-01

    Apex marine predators alter their foraging behavior in response to spatial and/or seasonal changes in natural prey distribution and abundance. However, few studies have identified the impacts of aquaculture that represents a spatially and temporally predictable and abundant resource on their foraging behavior. Using satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis we examined the degree of spatial overlap between the South American sea lion (SASL) and salmon farms, and quantify the amount of native prey versus farmed salmonids in SASL diets. We instrumented eight SASL individuals with SRDL-GPS tags. Vibrissae, hair and skin samples were collected for δ13C and δ15N analyses from five of the tagged individuals and from four males captured in a haul-out located adjacent to salmon farms. Tracking results showed that almost all the foraging areas of SASL are within close proximity to salmon farms. The most important prey for the individuals analyzed was farmed salmonids, with an estimated median (±SD) contribution of 19.7 ± 13.5‰ and 15.3 ± 9.6‰ for hair and skin, respectively. Using vibrissae as a temporal record of diet for each individual, we observed a remarkable switch in diet composition in two SASL, from farmed salmonids to pelagic fishes, which coincided with the decrease of salmon production due to the infectious salmon anemia virus that affected salmon farms in Chile at the end of 2008. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of integrating stable isotope derived dietary data with movement patterns to characterize the impacts of a non-native prey on the foraging ecology of an apex marine predator, providing important applied implications in situations where interactions between aquaculture and wildlife are common.

  8. Using Satellite Tracking and Isotopic Information to Characterize the Impact of South American Sea Lions on Salmonid Aquaculture in Southern Chile

    PubMed Central

    Sepúlveda, Maritza; Newsome, Seth D.; Pavez, Guido; Oliva, Doris; Costa, Daniel P.; Hückstädt, Luis A.

    2015-01-01

    Apex marine predators alter their foraging behavior in response to spatial and/or seasonal changes in natural prey distribution and abundance. However, few studies have identified the impacts of aquaculture that represents a spatially and temporally predictable and abundant resource on their foraging behavior. Using satellite telemetry and stable isotope analysis we examined the degree of spatial overlap between the South American sea lion (SASL) and salmon farms, and quantify the amount of native prey versus farmed salmonids in SASL diets. We instrumented eight SASL individuals with SRDL-GPS tags. Vibrissae, hair and skin samples were collected for δ13C and δ15N analyses from five of the tagged individuals and from four males captured in a haul-out located adjacent to salmon farms. Tracking results showed that almost all the foraging areas of SASL are within close proximity to salmon farms. The most important prey for the individuals analyzed was farmed salmonids, with an estimated median (±SD) contribution of 19.7 ± 13.5‰ and 15.3 ± 9.6‰ for hair and skin, respectively. Using vibrissae as a temporal record of diet for each individual, we observed a remarkable switch in diet composition in two SASL, from farmed salmonids to pelagic fishes, which coincided with the decrease of salmon production due to the infectious salmon anemia virus that affected salmon farms in Chile at the end of 2008. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of integrating stable isotope derived dietary data with movement patterns to characterize the impacts of a non-native prey on the foraging ecology of an apex marine predator, providing important applied implications in situations where interactions between aquaculture and wildlife are common. PMID:26309046

  9. Are brown trout Salmo trutta fario and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss two of a kind? A comparative study of salmonids to temperature-influenced Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae infection.

    PubMed

    Bailey, C; Schmidt-Posthaus, H; Segner, H; Wahli, T; Strepparava, N

    2018-02-01

    Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) of salmonids caused by Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae causes high mortalities of wild brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) and farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) at elevated water temperatures. Here the aim was to compare the temperature-dependent modulation of T. bryosalmonae in the two salmonid host species, which display different temperature optima. We used a novel experimental set-up in which we exposed brown trout and rainbow trout to an identical quantified low concentration of T. bryosalmonae for a short time period (1 hr). We followed the development of the parasite in the fish hosts for 70 days. PKD prevalence and parasite kinetics were assessed using qPCR. Exposures were performed at temperatures (12°C and 15°C) that reflect an environmental scenario that may occur in the natural habitat of salmonids. T. bryosalmonae infection was confirmed earliest in brown trout kept at 15°C (day 7 post-exposure) while, in all other groups, T. bryosalmonae was not confirmed until day 15 post-exposure. Moreover, significantly greater infection prevalence and a faster increase of parasite intensity were observed in brown trout kept at 15°C than in all other groups. These results indicate that PKD is differentially modulated by water temperature in related host species. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Efficacy, fate, and potential effects on salmonids of mosquito larvicides in catch basins in Seattle, Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sternberg, Morgan; Grue, Christian; Conquest, Loveday; Grassley, James; King, Kerensa

    2012-01-01

    We investigated the efficacy, fate, and potential for direct effects on salmonids of 4 common mosquito larvicides (Mosquito Dunks® and Bits® (AI: Bacillis thuringiensis var. israelensis, [Bti]), VectoLex® WSP (AI: Bacillus sphaericus [Bs], VectoLex CG [AI: Bs], and Altosid® Briquets [AI: s-methoprene]) in Seattle, WA, during 3 summers. During efficacy trials in 2006, all treatments resulted in a rapid reduction in number of mosquito pupae (Mosquito Dunks and Bits and VectoLex WSP) or emergence success (Altosid Briquets). VectoLex CG was chosen for city-wide application in 2007 and 2008. The average counts of pupae within round-top basins remained significantly below the control average for 11 wk in 2007, whereas efficacy in grated-top basins was short-lived. In 2008 the average counts of pupae within grated-top basins remained significantly below the control average for 10 wk. Altosid XR was also effective in reducing adult emergence within grated basins in 2008. In 2007 and 2008, frequent precipitation events made the evaluation of efficacy difficult due to reductions in pupae across control and treated basins. Four separate analyses of VectoLex products revealed that the product was a combination of Bs and Bti. Both Bs and Bti were detected in 3 urban creeks connected to treated basins in 2007 and 2008. Laboratory toxicity test results suggest that concentrations of Bs and Bti detected in each of the watersheds pose little direct hazard to juvenile salmonids.

  11. The waterfall paradox: How knickpoints disconnect hillslope and channel processes, isolating salmonid populations in ideal habitats

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    May, Christine; Roering, Josh; Snow, Kyle; Griswold, Kitty; Gresswell, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Waterfalls create barriers to fish migration, yet hundreds of isolated salmonid populations exist above barriers and have persisted for thousands of years in steep mountainous terrain. Ecological theory indicates that small isolated populations in disturbance-prone landscapes are at greatest risk of extirpation because immigration and recolonization are not possible. On the contrary, many above-barrier populations are currently thriving while their downstream counterparts are dwindling. This quandary led us to explore geomorphic knickpoints as a mechanism for disconnecting hillslope and channel processes by limiting channel incision and decreasing the pace of base-level lowering. Using LiDAR from the Oregon Coast Range, we found gentler channel gradients, wider valleys, lower gradient hillslopes, and less shallow landslide potential in an above-barrier catchment compared to a neighboring catchment devoid of persistent knickpoints. Based on this unique geomorphic template, above-barrier channel networks are less prone to debris flows and other episodic sediment fluxes. These above-barrier catchments also have greater resiliency to flooding, owing to wider valleys with greater floodplain connectivity. Habitat preference models further indicate that salmonid habitat is present in greater quantity and quality in these above-barrier networks. Therefore the paradox of the persistence of small isolated fish populations may be facilitated by a geomorphic mechanism that both limits their connectivity to larger fish populations yet dampens the effect of disturbance by decreasing connections between hillslope and channel processes above geomorphic knickpoints.

  12. Recurrence time statistics: versatile tools for genomic DNA sequence analysis.

    PubMed

    Cao, Yinhe; Tung, Wen-Wen; Gao, J B

    2004-01-01

    With the completion of the human and a few model organisms' genomes, and the genomes of many other organisms waiting to be sequenced, it has become increasingly important to develop faster computational tools which are capable of easily identifying the structures and extracting features from DNA sequences. One of the more important structures in a DNA sequence is repeat-related. Often they have to be masked before protein coding regions along a DNA sequence are to be identified or redundant expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are to be sequenced. Here we report a novel recurrence time based method for sequence analysis. The method can conveniently study all kinds of periodicity and exhaustively find all repeat-related features from a genomic DNA sequence. An efficient codon index is also derived from the recurrence time statistics, which has the salient features of being largely species-independent and working well on very short sequences. Efficient codon indices are key elements of successful gene finding algorithms, and are particularly useful for determining whether a suspected EST belongs to a coding or non-coding region. We illustrate the power of the method by studying the genomes of E. coli, the yeast S. cervisivae, the nematode worm C. elegans, and the human, Homo sapiens. Computationally, our method is very efficient. It allows us to carry out analysis of genomes on the whole genomic scale by a PC.

  13. Gene discovery in EST sequences from the wheat leaf rust fungus Puccinia triticina sexual spores, asexual spores and haustoria, compared to other rust and corn smut fungi

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Rust fungi are biotrophic basidiomycete plant pathogens that cause major diseases on plants and trees world-wide, affecting agriculture and forestry. Their biotrophic nature precludes many established molecular genetic manipulations and lines of research. The generation of genomic resources for these microbes is leading to novel insights into biology such as interactions with the hosts and guiding directions for breakthrough research in plant pathology. Results To support gene discovery and gene model verification in the genome of the wheat leaf rust fungus, Puccinia triticina (Pt), we have generated Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) by sampling several life cycle stages. We focused on several spore stages and isolated haustorial structures from infected wheat, generating 17,684 ESTs. We produced sequences from both the sexual (pycniospores, aeciospores and teliospores) and asexual (germinated urediniospores) stages of the life cycle. From pycniospores and aeciospores, produced by infecting the alternate host, meadow rue (Thalictrum speciosissimum), 4,869 and 1,292 reads were generated, respectively. We generated 3,703 ESTs from teliospores produced on the senescent primary wheat host. Finally, we generated 6,817 reads from haustoria isolated from infected wheat as well as 1,003 sequences from germinated urediniospores. Along with 25,558 previously generated ESTs, we compiled a database of 13,328 non-redundant sequences (4,506 singlets and 8,822 contigs). Fungal genes were predicted using the EST version of the self-training GeneMarkS algorithm. To refine the EST database, we compared EST sequences by BLASTN to a set of 454 pyrosequencing-generated contigs and Sanger BAC-end sequences derived both from the Pt genome, and to ESTs and genome reads from wheat. A collection of 6,308 fungal genes was identified and compared to sequences of the cereal rusts, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) and stripe rust, P. striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), and poplar

  14. Comparative Genomics Analyses Reveal Extensive Chromosome Colinearity and Novel Quantitative Trait Loci in Eucalyptus.

    PubMed

    Li, Fagen; Zhou, Changpin; Weng, Qijie; Li, Mei; Yu, Xiaoli; Guo, Yong; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Xiaohong; Gan, Siming

    2015-01-01

    Dense genetic maps, along with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) detected on such maps, are powerful tools for genomics and molecular breeding studies. In the important woody genus Eucalyptus, the recent release of E. grandis genome sequence allows for sequence-based genomic comparison and searching for positional candidate genes within QTL regions. Here, dense genetic maps were constructed for E. urophylla and E. tereticornis using genomic simple sequence repeats (SSR), expressed sequence tag (EST) derived SSR, EST-derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (EST-CAPS), and diversity arrays technology (DArT) markers. The E. urophylla and E. tereticornis maps comprised 700 and 585 markers across 11 linkage groups, totaling at 1,208.2 and 1,241.4 cM in length, respectively. Extensive synteny and colinearity were observed as compared to three earlier DArT-based eucalypt maps (two maps with E. grandis × E. urophylla and one map of E. globulus) and with the E. grandis genome sequence. Fifty-three QTLs for growth (10-56 months of age) and wood density (56 months) were identified in 22 discrete regions on both maps, in which only one colocalizaiton was found between growth and wood density. Novel QTLs were revealed as compared with those previously detected on DArT-based maps for similar ages in Eucalyptus. Eleven to 585 positional candidate genes were obained for a 56-month-old QTL through aligning QTL confidence interval with the E. grandis genome. These results will assist in comparative genomics studies, targeted gene characterization, and marker-assisted selection in Eucalyptus and the related taxa.

  15. Comparative Genomics Analyses Reveal Extensive Chromosome Colinearity and Novel Quantitative Trait Loci in Eucalyptus

    PubMed Central

    Weng, Qijie; Li, Mei; Yu, Xiaoli; Guo, Yong; Wang, Yu; Zhang, Xiaohong; Gan, Siming

    2015-01-01

    Dense genetic maps, along with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) detected on such maps, are powerful tools for genomics and molecular breeding studies. In the important woody genus Eucalyptus, the recent release of E. grandis genome sequence allows for sequence-based genomic comparison and searching for positional candidate genes within QTL regions. Here, dense genetic maps were constructed for E. urophylla and E. tereticornis using genomic simple sequence repeats (SSR), expressed sequence tag (EST) derived SSR, EST-derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (EST-CAPS), and diversity arrays technology (DArT) markers. The E. urophylla and E. tereticornis maps comprised 700 and 585 markers across 11 linkage groups, totaling at 1,208.2 and 1,241.4 cM in length, respectively. Extensive synteny and colinearity were observed as compared to three earlier DArT-based eucalypt maps (two maps with E. grandis × E. urophylla and one map of E. globulus) and with the E. grandis genome sequence. Fifty-three QTLs for growth (10–56 months of age) and wood density (56 months) were identified in 22 discrete regions on both maps, in which only one colocalizaiton was found between growth and wood density. Novel QTLs were revealed as compared with those previously detected on DArT-based maps for similar ages in Eucalyptus. Eleven to 585 positional candidate genes were obained for a 56-month-old QTL through aligning QTL confidence interval with the E. grandis genome. These results will assist in comparative genomics studies, targeted gene characterization, and marker-assisted selection in Eucalyptus and the related taxa. PMID:26695430

  16. Ichthyophonus-induced cardiac damage: a mechanism for reduced swimming stamina in salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kocan, R.; LaPatra, S.; Gregg, J.; Winton, J.; Hershberger, P.

    2006-01-01

    Swimming stamina, measured as time-to-fatigue, was reduced by approximately two-thirds in rainbow trout experimentally infected with Ichthyophonus. Intensity of Ichthyophonus infection was most severe in cardiac muscle but multiple organs were infected to a lesser extent. The mean heart weight of infected fish was 40% greater than that of uninfected fish, the result of parasite biomass, infiltration of immune cells and fibrotic (granuloma) tissue surrounding the parasite. Diminished swimming stamina is hypothesized to be due to cardiac failure resulting from the combination of parasite-damaged heart muscle and low myocardial oxygen supply during sustained aerobic exercise. Loss of stamina in Ichthyophonus-infected salmonids could explain the poor performance previously reported for wild Chinook and sockeye salmon stocks during their spawning migration. ?? 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. A disturbance-based ecosystem approach to maintaining and restoring freshwater habitats of evolutionarily significant units of anadromous salmonids in the Pacific Northwest.

    Treesearch

    G.H. Reeves; L.E. Benda; K.M. Burnett; P.A. Bisson; J.R. Sedell

    1995-01-01

    To preserve and recover evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of anadromous salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. in the Pacific Northwest, long-term and short-term ecological processes that create and maintain freshwater habitats must be restored and protected. Aquatic ecosystems through- out the region are dynamic in space and time, and lack of...

  18. Weirs: Counting and sampling adult salmonids in streams and rivers

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zimmerman, Christian E.; Zabkar, Laura M.; Johnson, David H.; Shrier, Brianna M.; O'Neal, Jennifer S.; Knutzen, John A.; Augerot, Xanthippe; O'Neal, Thomas A.; Pearsons, Todd N.

    2007-01-01

    Weirs—which function as porous barriers built across stream—have long been used to capture migrating fish in flowing waters. For example, the Netsilik peoples of northern Canada used V-shaped weirs constructed of river rocks gathered onsite to capture migrating Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus (Balikci 1970). Similarly, fences constructed of stakes and a latticework of willow branches or staves were used by Native Americans to capture migrating salmon in streams along the West Coast of North America (Stewart 1994). In modern times, weirs have also been used in terminal fisheries and to capture brood fish for use in fish culture. Weirs have been used to gather data on age structure, condition, sex ratio, spawning escapement, abundance, and migratory patterns of fish in streams. One of the critical elements of fisheries management and stock assessment of salmonids is a count of adult fish returning to spawn. Weirs are frequently used to capture or count fish to determine status and trends of populations or direct inseason management of fisheries; generally, weirs are the standard against which other techniques are measured. To evaluate fishery management actions, the number of fish escaping to spawn is often compared to river-specific target spawning requirements (O’Connell and Dempson 1995). A critical factor in these analyses is the determination of total run size (O’Connell 2003). O’Connell compared methods of run-size estimation against absolute counts from a rigid weir and concluded that, given the uncertainty of estimators, the absolute counts obtained at the weir wer significantly better than modeled estimates, which deviated as much as 50–60% from actual counts. The use of weirs is generally restricted to streams and small rivers because of construction expense, formation of navigation barriers, and the tendency of weirs to clog with debris, which can cause flooding and collapse of the structure (Hubert 1996). When feasible, however, weirs are

  19. Survival Estimates for the Passage of Juvenile Salmonids through Snake River Dams and Reservoirs, 1994 Annual Report.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Muir, William D.

    1995-02-01

    In 1994, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Washington completed the second year of a multi-year study to estimate survival of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) passing through the dams and reservoirs of the Snake River. Actively migrating smolts were collected at selected locations above, at, and below Lower Granite Dam, tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and released to continue their downstream migration. Survival estimates were calculated using the Single-Release, Modified Single-Release, and Paired-Release Models.

  20. Mining and characterization of EST-SSR markers for Zingiber officinale Roscoe with transferability to other species of Zingiberaceae.

    PubMed

    Awasthi, Praveen; Singh, Ashish; Sheikh, Gulfam; Mahajan, Vidushi; Gupta, Ajai Prakash; Gupta, Suphla; Bedi, Yashbir S; Gandhi, Sumit G

    2017-10-01

    Zingiber officinale is a model spice herb, well known for its medicinal value. It is primarily a vegetatively propagated commercial crop. However, considerable diversity in its morphology, fiber content and chemoprofiles has been reported. The present study explores the utility of EST-derived markers in studying genetic diversity in different accessions of Z. officinale and their cross transferability within the Zingiberaceae family. A total of 38,115 ESTs sequences were assembled to generate 7850 contigs and 10,762 singletons. SSRs were searched in the unigenes and 515 SSR-containing ESTs were identified with a frequency of 1 SSR per 25.21 kb of the genome. These ESTs were also annotated using BLAST2GO. Primers were designed for 349 EST-SSRs and 25 primer pairs were randomly picked for EST SSR study. Out of these, 16 primer pairs could be optimized for amplification in different accessions of Z. officinale as well as other species belonging to Zingiberaceae. GES454, GES466, GES480 and GES486 markers were found to exhibit 100% cross-transferability among different members of Zingiberaceae.

  1. Accurate aging of juvenile salmonids using fork lengths

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sethi, Suresh; Gerken, Jonathon; Ashline, Joshua

    2017-01-01

    Juvenile salmon life history strategies, survival, and habitat interactions may vary by age cohort. However, aging individual juvenile fish using scale reading is time consuming and can be error prone. Fork length data are routinely measured while sampling juvenile salmonids. We explore the performance of aging juvenile fish based solely on fork length data, using finite Gaussian mixture models to describe multimodal size distributions and estimate optimal age-discriminating length thresholds. Fork length-based ages are compared against a validation set of juvenile coho salmon, Oncorynchus kisutch, aged by scales. Results for juvenile coho salmon indicate greater than 95% accuracy can be achieved by aging fish using length thresholds estimated from mixture models. Highest accuracy is achieved when aged fish are compared to length thresholds generated from samples from the same drainage, time of year, and habitat type (lentic versus lotic), although relatively high aging accuracy can still be achieved when thresholds are extrapolated to fish from populations in different years or drainages. Fork length-based aging thresholds are applicable for taxa for which multiple age cohorts coexist sympatrically. Where applicable, the method of aging individual fish is relatively quick to implement and can avoid ager interpretation bias common in scale-based aging.

  2. Exploiting EST databases for the development and characterisation of 3425 gene-tagged CISP markers in biofuel crop sugarcane and their transferability in cereals and orphan tropical grasses.

    PubMed

    Chandra, Amaresh; Jain, Radha; Solomon, Sushil; Shrivastava, Shiksha; Roy, Ajoy K

    2013-02-04

    Sugarcane is an important cash crop, providing 70% of the global raw sugar as well as raw material for biofuel production. Genetic analysis is hindered in sugarcane because of its large and complex polyploid genome and lack of sufficiently informative gene-tagged markers. Modern genomics has produced large amount of ESTs, which can be exploited to develop molecular markers based on comparative analysis with EST datasets of related crops and whole rice genome sequence, and accentuate their cross-technical functionality in orphan crops like tropical grasses. Utilising 246,180 Saccharum officinarum EST sequences vis-à-vis its comparative analysis with ESTs of sorghum and barley and the whole rice genome sequence, we have developed 3425 novel gene-tagged markers - namely, conserved-intron scanning primers (CISP) - using the web program GeMprospector. Rice orthologue annotation results indicated homology of 1096 sequences with expressed proteins, 491 with hypothetical proteins. The remaining 1838 were miscellaneous in nature. A total of 367 primer-pairs were tested in diverse panel of samples. The data indicate amplification of 41% polymorphic bands leading to 0.52 PIC and 3.50 MI with a set of sugarcane varieties and Saccharum species. In addition, a moderate technical functionality of a set of such markers with orphan tropical grasses (22%) and fodder cum cereal oat (33%) is observed. Developed gene-tagged CISP markers exhibited considerable technical functionality with varieties of sugarcane and unexplored species of tropical grasses. These markers would thus be particularly useful in identifying the economical traits in sugarcane and developing conservation strategies for orphan tropical grasses.

  3. Approach, passage, and survival of juvenile salmonids at Little Goose Dam, Washington: Post-construction evaluation of a temporary spillway weir, 2009

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Beeman, J.W.; Braatz, A.C.; Hansel, H.C.; Fielding, S.D.; Haner, P.V.; Hansen, G.S.; Shurtleff, D.J.; Sprando, J.M.; Rondorf, D.W.

    2010-01-01

    This report describes a study of dam passage and survival of radio-tagged juvenile salmonids after installation of a temporary spillway weir (TSW) at Little Goose Dam, Washington, in 2009. The purpose of the study was to document fish passage and survival when the dam was operated with the TSW in place. Spillway weirs are one of several methods used to improve downstream passage of juvenile salmonids. Each spillway weir design is based on the concept of providing an overflow weir with a depth more similar to the natural migration depth of juvenile salmonids than conventional spill bays. Little Goose Dam was the last of the four lower Snake River dams to have a spillway weir installed. This was the first year that some form of surface passage device was operating at all Snake River and Columbia River dams between Lewiston, Idaho, and the Columbia River estuary. The study design stipulated that a total of 30 percent of the river discharge would continuously be passed over the TSW and the conventional spill bays, and this percentage was achieved. The TSW also was to be operated at the 'low crest' elevation during the spring and the 'high crest' elevation during the summer, but the TSW was only operated at the low crest elevation during this study. Behavior, passage, and survival of spring and summer juvenile salmonid migrants passing through Little Goose Dam were examined using radio telemetry. Survival was estimated using the Route Specific Survival Model (RSSM) by releasing tagged fish near Central Ferry State Park 21 kilometers upstream of the dam and in the tailrace approximately 0.5 kilometer downstream of the dam. From April 18 to May 21, 2009, 1,520 yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and 1,517 juvenile steelhead (O. mykiss) were radio tagged and released. From June 6 to July 5, 2009, 4,251 subyearling Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) were radio tagged and released. Release dates of subyearling Chinook salmon were selected to avoid 'reservoir

  4. Cloning and characterization of a pyrethroid pesticide decomposing esterase gene, Est3385, from Rhodopseudomonas palustris PSB-S.

    PubMed

    Luo, Xiangwen; Zhang, Deyong; Zhou, Xuguo; Du, Jiao; Zhang, Songbai; Liu, Yong

    2018-05-09

    Full length open reading frame of pyrethroid detoxification gene, Est3385, contains 963 nucleotides. This gene was identified and cloned based on the genome sequence of Rhodopseudomonas palustris PSB-S available at the GneBank. The predicted amino acid sequence of Est3385 shared moderate identities (30-46%) with the known homologous esterases. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Est3385 was a member in the esterase family I. Recombinant Est3385 was heterologous expressed in E. coli, purified and characterized for its substrate specificity, kinetics and stability under various conditions. The optimal temperature and pH for Est3385 were 35 °C and 6.0, respectively. This enzyme could detoxify various pyrethroid pesticides and degrade the optimal substrate fenpropathrin with a Km and Vmax value of 0.734 ± 0.013 mmol·l -1 and 0.918 ± 0.025 U·µg -1 , respectively. No cofactor was found to affect Est3385 activity but substantial reduction of enzymatic activity was observed when metal ions were applied. Taken together, a new pyrethroid degradation esterase was identified and characterized. Modification of Est3385 with protein engineering toolsets should enhance its potential for field application to reduce the pesticide residue from agroecosystems.

  5. Assembly of 500,000 inter-specific catfish expressed sequence tags and large scale gene-associated marker development for whole genome association studies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Catfish Genome Consortium; Wang, Shaolin; Peatman, Eric

    2010-03-23

    Background-Through the Community Sequencing Program, a catfish EST sequencing project was carried out through a collaboration between the catfish research community and the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute. Prior to this project, only a limited EST resource from catfish was available for the purpose of SNP identification. Results-A total of 438,321 quality ESTs were generated from 8 channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and 4 blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) libraries, bringing the number of catfish ESTs to nearly 500,000. Assembly of all catfish ESTs resulted in 45,306 contigs and 66,272 singletons. Over 35percent of the unique sequences had significant similarities tomore » known genes, allowing the identification of 14,776 unique genes in catfish. Over 300,000 putative SNPs have been identified, of which approximately 48,000 are high-quality SNPs identified from contigs with at least four sequences and the minor allele presence of at least two sequences in the contig. The EST resource should be valuable for identification of microsatellites, genome annotation, large-scale expression analysis, and comparative genome analysis. Conclusions-This project generated a large EST resource for catfish that captured the majority of the catfish transcriptome. The parallel analysis of ESTs from two closely related Ictalurid catfishes should also provide powerful means for the evaluation of ancient and recent gene duplications, and for the development of high-density microarrays in catfish. The inter- and intra-specific SNPs identified from all catfish EST dataset assembly will greatly benefit the catfish introgression breeding program and whole genome association studies.« less

  6. VitisExpDB: a database resource for grape functional genomics.

    PubMed

    Doddapaneni, Harshavardhan; Lin, Hong; Walker, M Andrew; Yao, Jiqiang; Civerolo, Edwin L

    2008-02-28

    The family Vitaceae consists of many different grape species that grow in a range of climatic conditions. In the past few years, several studies have generated functional genomic information on different Vitis species and cultivars, including the European grape vine, Vitis vinifera. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive web data source for Vitaceae. VitisExpDB is an online MySQL-PHP driven relational database that houses annotated EST and gene expression data for V. vinifera and non-vinifera grape species and varieties. Currently, the database stores approximately 320,000 EST sequences derived from 8 species/hybrids, their annotation (BLAST top match) details and Gene Ontology based structured vocabulary. Putative homologs for each EST in other species and varieties along with information on their percent nucleotide identities, phylogenetic relationship and common primers can be retrieved. The database also includes information on probe sequence and annotation features of the high density 60-mer gene expression chip consisting of approximately 20,000 non-redundant set of ESTs. Finally, the database includes 14 processed global microarray expression profile sets. Data from 12 of these expression profile sets have been mapped onto metabolic pathways. A user-friendly web interface with multiple search indices and extensively hyperlinked result features that permit efficient data retrieval has been developed. Several online bioinformatics tools that interact with the database along with other sequence analysis tools have been added. In addition, users can submit their ESTs to the database. The developed database provides genomic resource to grape community for functional analysis of genes in the collection and for the grape genome annotation and gene function identification. The VitisExpDB database is available through our website http://cropdisease.ars.usda.gov/vitis_at/main-page.htm.

  7. VitisExpDB: A database resource for grape functional genomics

    PubMed Central

    Doddapaneni, Harshavardhan; Lin, Hong; Walker, M Andrew; Yao, Jiqiang; Civerolo, Edwin L

    2008-01-01

    Background The family Vitaceae consists of many different grape species that grow in a range of climatic conditions. In the past few years, several studies have generated functional genomic information on different Vitis species and cultivars, including the European grape vine, Vitis vinifera. Our goal is to develop a comprehensive web data source for Vitaceae. Description VitisExpDB is an online MySQL-PHP driven relational database that houses annotated EST and gene expression data for V. vinifera and non-vinifera grape species and varieties. Currently, the database stores ~320,000 EST sequences derived from 8 species/hybrids, their annotation (BLAST top match) details and Gene Ontology based structured vocabulary. Putative homologs for each EST in other species and varieties along with information on their percent nucleotide identities, phylogenetic relationship and common primers can be retrieved. The database also includes information on probe sequence and annotation features of the high density 60-mer gene expression chip consisting of ~20,000 non-redundant set of ESTs. Finally, the database includes 14 processed global microarray expression profile sets. Data from 12 of these expression profile sets have been mapped onto metabolic pathways. A user-friendly web interface with multiple search indices and extensively hyperlinked result features that permit efficient data retrieval has been developed. Several online bioinformatics tools that interact with the database along with other sequence analysis tools have been added. In addition, users can submit their ESTs to the database. Conclusion The developed database provides genomic resource to grape community for functional analysis of genes in the collection and for the grape genome annotation and gene function identification. The VitisExpDB database is available through our website . PMID:18307813

  8. Survival and migration behavior of juvenile salmonids at Lower Granite Dam, 2006

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Beeman, John W.; Fielding, Scott D.; Braatz, Amy C.; Wilkerson, Tamara S.; Pope, Adam C.; Walker, Christopher E.; Hardiman, Jill M.; Perry, Russell W.; Counihan, Timothy D.

    2008-01-01

    We described behavior and estimated passage and survival parameters of juvenile salmonids during spring and summer migration periods at Lower Granite Dam in 2006. During the spring, the study was designed to examine the effects of the Behavioral Guidance Structure (BGS) by using a randomized-block BGS Stored / BGS Deployed treatment design. The summer study was designed to compare passage and survival through Lower Granite Dam using a randomized-block design during two spill treatments while the BGS was in the stored position. We used the Route Specific Survival Model to estimate survival and passage probabilities of hatchery yearling Chinook salmon, hatchery juvenile steelhead, and hatchery and wild subyearling Chinook salmon. We also estimated fish guidance efficiency (FGE), fish passage efficiency (FPE), Removable Spillway Weir passage effectiveness (RPE), spill passage effectiveness (SPY), and combined spill and RSW passage effectiveness.

  9. Evaluating species-specific changes in hydrologic regimes: an iterative approach for salmonids in the Greater Yellowstone Area (USA)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Sepulveda, Adam; Ray, Andrew M.; Thoma, David P.; Tercek, Michael T.

    2017-01-01

    Despite the importance of hydrologic regimes to the phenology, demography, and abundance of fishes such as salmonids, there have been surprisingly few syntheses that holistically assess regional, species-specific trends in hydrologic regimes within a framework of climate change. Here, we consider hydrologic regimes within the Greater Yellowstone Area in the Rocky Mountains of western North America to evaluate changes in hydrologic metrics anticipated to affect salmonids, a group of fishes with high regional ecological and socioeconomic value. Our analyses assessed trends across different sites and time periods (1930–, 1950–, and 1970–2015) as means to evaluate spatial and temporal shifts. Consistent patterns emerged from our analyses indicating substantial shifts to (1) earlier peak discharge events; (2) reductions of summer minimum streamflows; (3) declines in the duration of river ice; and (4) decreases in total volume of water. We found accelerated trends in hydrologic change for the 1970–2015 period, with an average peak discharge 7.5 days earlier, 27.5% decline in summer minimum streamflows, and a 15.6% decline in the annual total volume of water (1 October–September 30) across sites. We did observe considerable variability in magnitude of change across sites, suggesting different levels of vulnerability to a changing climate. Our analyses provide an iterative means for assessing climate predictions and an important step in identifying the climate resilience of landscapes.

  10. Demographics of piscivorous colonial waterbirds and management implications for ESA-listed salmonids on the Columbia Plateau

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Adkins, Jessica Y.; Lyons, Donald E.; Loschl, Peter J.; Roby, Daniel D.; Collis, Ken; Evans, Allen F.; Hostetter, Nathan J.

    2014-01-01

    We investigated colony size, productivity, and limiting factors for five piscivorous waterbird species nesting at 18 locations on the Columbia Plateau (Washington) during 2004–2010 with emphasis on species with a history of salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) depredation. Numbers of nesting Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) were stable at about 700–1,000 breeding pairs at five colonies and about 1,200–1,500 breeding pairs at four colonies, respectively. Numbers of American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) increased at Badger Island, the sole breeding colony for the species on the Columbia Plateau, from about 900 individuals in 2007 to over 2,000 individuals in 2010. Overall numbers of breeding California gulls (Larus californicus) and ring-billed gulls (L. delawarensis) declined during the study, mostly because of the abandonment of a large colony in the mid-Columbia River. Three gull colonies below the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers increased substantially, however. Factors that may limit colony size and productivity for piscivorous waterbirds nesting on the Columbia Plateau included availability of suitable nesting habitat, interspecific competition for nest sites, predation, gull kleptoparasitism, food availability, and human disturbance. Based on observed population trends alone, there is little reason to project increased impacts to juvenile salmonid survival from tern and cormorant populations. Additional monitoring and evaluation may be warranted to assess future impacts of the growing Badger Island American white pelican colony and those gull colonies located near mainstem dams or associated with Caspian tern colonies where kleptoparasitism is common.

  11. Morphology of certain viruses of Salmonid Fishes. I. in vitro studies of some viruses causing Hematopoietic Necrosis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Amend, Donald F.; Chambers, Velma C.

    1970-01-01

    An electron microscope study was performed on three virus isolates that caused hematopoietic necrosis in salmonid fishes: infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN), Oregon Sockeye Disease (OSD), and Sacramento River Chinook Salmon Disease (SRCD). All three isolates were examined by negative staining of fathead minnow (FHM) monolayer tissue culture concentrates and IHN virus was also examined in thin sections of FHM cells. Viruslike particles were observed in infected tissues, but similar structures were not found in uninfected cultures. All three isolates were bullet-shaped, but oval and truncated forms were also observed. Mean measurements of particles from IHN-virus-infected tissue were 158 × 90 mμ. They consisted of an outer coat 15 mμ thick, a core 60 mμ in diameter, subunits about 5 mμ, and an axial pore about 20 mμ in diameter. These particles also were seen budding from the cytoplasmic membrane. Similar particles from SRCD were 159 × 90 mμ and isolates from OSD were 181 × 91 mμ. The three isolates were morphologically indistinguishable from one another and the greater length of OSD was considered insignificant. IHN, SRCD, and OSD viruses were tentatively placed in the rhabdovirus group, but serological studies are needed to determine if they are antigenically identical or should be included as separate members. Biochemical and physical characteristics of these viruses and a comparison with other salmonid viruses is also discussed.

  12. Oral vaccination of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) against salmonid rickettsial septicaemia.

    PubMed

    Tobar, Jaime A; Jerez, Sofía; Caruffo, Mario; Bravo, Catalina; Contreras, Francisco; Bucarey, Sergio A; Harel, Moti

    2011-03-09

    Effective oral immunization systems may be very helpful to the salmon industry, particularly during the seawater growth stages in which vaccination through injection is not possible. During the seawater growing stage, fish become more susceptible to several types of disease, due to the natural decay of vaccine-induced immune responses. In this study, we demonstrate the immune response and efficacy of a new salmonid rickettsial septicaemia (SRS) oral vaccine, developed using MicroMatrix™ Technology. The vaccine, which is administered together with daily feed ration, induces a specific immune response at local and systemic levels. Anti-Piscirickettsia salmonis specific antibodies were detected as soon as 300 degree-days after vaccination. Furthermore, oral vaccination was able to protect fish against a lethal pathogen challenge when administered either as a primary vaccination or as a booster for an injected vaccine. Results show that oral vaccination is an efficacious treatment for the prevention of SRS outbreaks throughout the salmon culture period. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Annotation of Ehux ESTs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kuo, Alan; Grigoriev, Igor

    2009-06-12

    22 percent ESTs do no align with scaffolds. EST Pipeleine assembles 17126 consensi from the noaligned ESTs. Annotation Pipeline predicts 8564 ORFS on the consensi. Domain analysis of ORFs reveals missing genes. Cluster analysis reveals missing genes. Expression analysis reveals potential strain specific genes.

  14. Genome-wide nucleotide diversity of hatchery-reared Atlantic and Mediterranean strains of brown trout Salmo trutta compared to wild Mediterranean populations.

    PubMed

    Leitwein, M; Gagnaire, P-A; Desmarais, E; Guendouz, S; Rohmer, M; Berrebi, P; Guinand, B

    2016-12-01

    A genome-wide assessment of diversity is provided for wild Mediterranean brown trout Salmo trutta populations from headwater tributaries of the Orb River and from Atlantic and Mediterranean hatchery-reared strains that have been used for stocking. Double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (dd-RADseq) was performed and the efficiency of de novo and reference-mapping approaches to obtain individual genotypes was compared. Large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers with similar genome-wide distributions were discovered using both approaches (196 639 v. 121 016 SNPs, respectively), with c. 80% of the loci detected de novo being also found with reference mapping, using the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar genome as a reference. Lower mapping density but larger nucleotide diversity (π) was generally observed near extremities of linkage groups, consistent with regions of residual tetrasomic inheritance observed in salmonids. Genome-wide diversity estimates revealed reduced polymorphism in hatchery strains (π = 0·0040 and π = 0·0029 in Atlantic and Mediterranean strains, respectively) compared to wild populations (π = 0·0049), a pattern that was congruent with allelic richness estimated from microsatellite markers. Finally, pronounced heterozygote deficiency was found in hatchery strains (Atlantic F IS = 0·18; Mediterranean F IS = 0·42), indicating that stocking practices may affect the genetic diversity in wild populations. These new genomic resources will provide important tools to define better conservation strategies in S. trutta. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

  15. Microsatellite DNA in genomic survey sequences and UniGenes of loblolly pine

    Treesearch

    Craig S Echt; Surya Saha; Dennis L Deemer; C Dana Nelson

    2011-01-01

    Genomic DNA sequence databases are a potential and growing resource for simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker development in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Loblolly pine also has many expressed sequence tags (ESTs) available for microsatellite (SSR) marker development. We compared loblolly pine SSR densities in genome survey sequences (GSSs) to those in non-redundant...

  16. A simple model that identifies potential effects of sea-level rise on estuarine and estuary-ecotone habitat locations for salmonids in Oregon, USA

    Treesearch

    Rebecca Flitcroft; Kelly Burnett; Kelly Christiansen

    2013-01-01

    Diadromous aquatic species that cross a diverse range of habitats (including marine, estuarine, and freshwater) face different effects of climate change in each environment. One such group of species is the anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Studies of the potential effects of climate change on salmonids have focused on both marine and...

  17. Citrus Genomics

    PubMed Central

    Talon, Manuel; Gmitter Jr., Fred G.

    2008-01-01

    Citrus is one of the most widespread fruit crops globally, with great economic and health value. It is among the most difficult plants to improve through traditional breeding approaches. Currently, there is risk of devastation by diseases threatening to limit production and future availability to the human population. As technologies rapidly advance in genomic science, they are quickly adapted to address the biological challenges of the citrus plant system and the world's industries. The historical developments of linkage mapping, markers and breeding, EST projects, physical mapping, an international citrus genome sequencing project, and critical functional analysis are described. Despite the challenges of working with citrus, there has been substantial progress. Citrus researchers engaged in international collaborations provide optimism about future productivity and contributions to the benefit of citrus industries worldwide and to the human population who can rely on future widespread availability of this health-promoting and aesthetically pleasing fruit crop. PMID:18509486

  18. An expressed sequence tag (EST) library for Drosophila serrata, a model system for sexual selection and climatic adaptation studies.

    PubMed

    Frentiu, Francesca D; Adamski, Marcin; McGraw, Elizabeth A; Blows, Mark W; Chenoweth, Stephen F

    2009-01-21

    The native Australian fly Drosophila serrata belongs to the highly speciose montium subgroup of the melanogaster species group. It has recently emerged as an excellent model system with which to address a number of important questions, including the evolution of traits under sexual selection and traits involved in climatic adaptation along latitudinal gradients. Understanding the molecular genetic basis of such traits has been limited by a lack of genomic resources for this species. Here, we present the first expressed sequence tag (EST) collection for D. serrata that will enable the identification of genes underlying sexually-selected phenotypes and physiological responses to environmental change and may help resolve controversial phylogenetic relationships within the montium subgroup. A normalized cDNA library was constructed from whole fly bodies at several developmental stages, including larvae and adults. Assembly of 11,616 clones sequenced from the 3' end allowed us to identify 6,607 unique contigs, of which at least 90% encoded peptides. Partial transcripts were discovered from a variety of genes of evolutionary interest by BLASTing contigs against the 12 Drosophila genomes currently sequenced. By incorporating into the cDNA library multiple individuals from populations spanning a large portion of the geographical range of D. serrata, we were able to identify 11,057 putative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), with 278 different contigs having at least one "double hit" SNP that is highly likely to be a real polymorphism. At least 394 EST-associated microsatellite markers, representing 355 different contigs, were also found, providing an additional set of genetic markers. The assembled EST library is available online at http://www.chenowethlab.org/serrata/index.cgi. We have provided the first gene collection and largest set of polymorphic genetic markers, to date, for the fly D. serrata. The EST collection will provide much needed genomic resources for

  19. The potential influence of changing climate on the persistence of salmonids of the inland west

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Haak, A.L.; Williams, J.E.; Isaak, D.; Todd, A.; Muhlfeld, C.C.; Kershner, J.L.; Gresswell, R.E.; Hostetler, S.W.; Neville, H.M.

    2010-01-01

    The Earth's climate warmed steadily during the 20th century, and mean annual air temperatures are estimated to have increased by 0.6°C (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007). Although many cycles of warming and cooling have occurred in the past, the most recent warming period is unique in its rate and magnitude of change (Siegenthaler and others, 2005) and in its association with anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , 2007). The climate in the western United States warmed in concert with the global trend but at an accelerated rate (+0.8°C during the 20th century; Saunders and others, 2008). The region could also prove especially sensitive to future changes because the relatively small human population is growing rapidly, as are demands on limited water supplies. Regional hydrological patterns are dominated by seasonal snow accumulation at upper elevations. Most of the region is relatively dry, and both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are strongly constrained b y water availability (Barnett and others, 2008; Brown and others, 2008). Stream environments are dynamic and climatically extreme, and salmonid fishes are the dominant elements of the native biodiversity (McPhail and Lindsey, 1986; Waples and others, 2008). Salmonids have broad economic and ecologic importance, but a century of intensive water resource development, nonnative fish stocking, and land use has significantly reduced many populations and several taxa are now protected under the Endangered Species Act (Thurow and others, 1997; Trotter, 2008). Because salmonids require relatively pristine, cold water environments and are often isolated in headwater habitats, members of this group may be especially vulnerable to the effects of a warming climate (Keleher and Rahel, 1996; Rieman and others, 2007; Williams and others, 2009). Warming during the 20th century drove a series of environmental trends that have profound implications for many

  20. Estimating the Population Mutation Rate from a de novo Assembled Bactrian Camel Genome and Cross-Species Comparison with Dromedary ESTs

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    The Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) are among the last species that have been domesticated around 3000–6000 years ago. During domestication, strong artificial (anthropogenic) selection has shaped the livestock, creating a huge amount of phenotypes and breeds. Hence, domestic animals represent a unique resource to understand the genetic basis of phenotypic variation and adaptation. Similar to its late domestication history, the Bactrian camel is also among the last livestock animals to have its genome sequenced and deciphered. As no genomic data have been available until recently, we generated a de novo assembly by shotgun sequencing of a single male Bactrian camel. We obtained 1.6 Gb genomic sequences, which correspond to more than half of the Bactrian camel’s genome. The aim of this study was to identify heterozygous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and to estimate population parameters and nucleotide diversity based on an individual camel. With an average 6.6-fold coverage, we detected over 116 000 heterozygous SNPs and recorded a genome-wide nucleotide diversity similar to that of other domesticated ungulates. More than 20 000 (85%) dromedary expressed sequence tags successfully aligned to our genomic draft. Our results provide a template for future association studies targeting economically relevant traits and to identify changes underlying the process of camel domestication and environmental adaptation. PMID:23454912

  1. Comparative analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes suggests that relaxed purifying selection is driving high nonsynonymous evolutionary rate of the NADH2 gene in whitefish (Coregonus ssp.).

    PubMed

    Jacobsen, Magnus W; da Fonseca, Rute R; Bernatchez, Louis; Hansen, Michael M

    2016-02-01

    Several studies have recently reported evidence for positive selection acting on the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome), emphasizing its potential role in adaptive divergence and speciation. In this study we searched 107 full mitogenomes of recently diverged species and lineages of whitefish (Coregonus ssp.) for signals of positive selection. These salmonids show several distinct morphological and ecological differences that may be associated with energetics and therefore potentially positive selection at the mitogenome level. We found that purifying selection and genetic drift were the predominant evolutionary forces acting on the analyzed mitogenomes. However, the NADH dehydrogenase 2 gene (ND2) showed a highly elevated dN/dS ratio compared to the other mitochondrial genes, which was significantly higher in whitefish compared to other salmonids. We therefore further examined nonsynonymous evolution in ND2 by (i) mapping amino acid changes to a protein model structure which showed that they were located away from key functional residues of the protein, (ii) locating them in the sequences of other species of fish (Salmonidae, Anguillidae, Scombridae and Percidae) only to find pronounced overlap of nonsynonymous regions. We thus conclude that relaxed purifying selection is driving the evolution of ND2 by affecting mostly regions that have lower functional relevance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Cross-referencing yeast genetics and mammalian genomes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hieter, P.; Basset, D.; Boguski, M.

    1994-09-01

    We have initiated a project that will systematically transfer information about yeast genes onto the genetic maps of mice and human beings. Rapidly expanding human EST data will serve as a source of candidate human homologs that will be repeatedly searched using yeast protein sequence queries. Search results will be automatically reported to participating labs. Human cDNA sequences from which the ESTs are derived will be mapped at high resolution in the human and mouse genomes. The comparative mapping information cross-references the genomic position of novel human cDNAs with functional information known about the cognate yeast genes. This should facilitatemore » the initial identification of genes responsible for mammalian mutant phenotypes, including human disease. In addition, the identification of mammalian homologs of yeast genes provides reagents for determining evolutionary conservation and for performing direct experiments in multicellular eukaryotes to enhance study of the yeast protein`s function. For example, ESTs homologous to CDC27 and CDC16 were identified, and the corresponding cDNA clones were obtained from ATTC, completely sequenced, and mapped on human and mouse chromosomes. In addition, the CDC17hs cDNA has been used to raise antisera to the CDC27Hs protein and used in subcellular localization experiments and junctional studies in mammalian cells. We have received funding from the National Center for Human Genome Research to provide a community resource which will establish comprehensive cross-referencing among yeast, human, and mouse loci. The project is set up as a service and information on how to communicate with this effort will be provided.« less

  3. Preparing and Analyzing Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) Library for the Mammary Tissue of Local Turkish Kivircik Sheep

    PubMed Central

    Omeroglu Ulu, Zehra; Ulu, Salih; Un, Cemal; Ozdem Oztabak, Kemal; Altunatmaz, Kemal

    2017-01-01

    Kivircik sheep is an important local Turkish sheep according to its meat quality and milk productivity. The aim of this study was to analyze gene expression profiles of both prenatal and postnatal stages for the Kivircik sheep. Therefore, two different cDNA libraries, which were taken from the same Kivircik sheep mammary gland tissue at prenatal and postnatal stages, were constructed. Total 3072 colonies which were randomly selected from the two libraries were sequenced for developing a sheep ESTs collection. We used Phred/Phrap computer programs for analysis of the raw EST and readable EST sequences were assembled with the CAP3 software. Putative functions of all unique sequences and statistical analysis were determined by Geneious software. Total 422 ESTs have over 80% similarity to known sequences of other organisms in NCBI classified by Panther database for the Gene Ontology (GO) category. By comparing gene expression profiles, we observed some putative genes that may be relative to reproductive performance or play important roles in milk synthesis and secretion. A total of 2414 ESTs have been deposited to the NCBI GenBank database (GW996847–GW999260). EST data in this study have provided a new source of information to functional genome studies of sheep. PMID:28239610

  4. Erection of Ceratonova n. gen. (Myxosporea: Ceratomyxidae) to encompass freshwater species C. gasterostea n. sp. from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and C. shasta n. comb. from salmonid fishes.

    PubMed

    Atkinson, S D; Foott, J S; Bartholomew, J L

    2014-10-01

    Ceratonova gasterostea n. gen. n. sp. is described from the intestine of freshwater Gasterosteus aculeatus L. from the Klamath River, California. Myxospores are arcuate, 22.4 ± 2.6 μm thick, 5.2 ± 0.4 μm long, posterior angle 45° ± 24°, with 2 sub-spherical polar capsules, diameter 2.3 ± 0.2 μm, which lie adjacent to the suture. Its ribosomal small subunit sequence was most similar to an intestinal parasite of salmonid fishes, Ceratomyxa shasta (97%, 1,671/1,692 nucleotides), and distinct from all other Ceratomyxa species (<85%), which are typically coelozoic parasites in the gall bladder or urinary system of marine fishes. We propose erection of genus Ceratonova to contain both intestinal, freshwater species and reassign the salmonid parasite as Ceratonova shasta n. comb.

  5. openSputnik--a database to ESTablish comparative plant genomics using unsaturated sequence collections.

    PubMed

    Rudd, Stephen

    2005-01-01

    The public expressed sequence tag collections are continually being enriched with high-quality sequences that represent an ever-expanding range of taxonomically diverse plant species. While these sequence collections provide biased insight into the populations of expressed genes available within individual species and their associated tissues, the information is conceivably of wider relevance in a comparative context. When we consider the available expressed sequence tag (EST) collections of summer 2004, most of the major plant taxonomic clades are at least superficially represented. Investigation of the five million available plant ESTs provides a wealth of information that has applications in modelling the routes of plant genome evolution and the identification of lineage-specific genes and gene families. Over four million ESTs from over 50 distinct plant species have been collated within an EST analysis pipeline called openSputnik. The ESTs were resolved down into approximately one million unigene sequences. These have been annotated using orthology-based annotation transfer from reference plant genomes and using a variety of contemporary bioinformatics methods to assign peptide, structural and functional attributes. The openSputnik database is available at http://sputnik.btk.fi.

  6. PipeOnline 2.0: automated EST processing and functional data sorting.

    PubMed

    Ayoubi, Patricia; Jin, Xiaojing; Leite, Saul; Liu, Xianghui; Martajaja, Jeson; Abduraham, Abdurashid; Wan, Qiaolan; Yan, Wei; Misawa, Eduardo; Prade, Rolf A

    2002-11-01

    Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are generated and deposited in the public domain, as redundant, unannotated, single-pass reactions, with virtually no biological content. PipeOnline automatically analyses and transforms large collections of raw DNA-sequence data from chromatograms or FASTA files by calling the quality of bases, screening and removing vector sequences, assembling and rewriting consensus sequences of redundant input files into a unigene EST data set and finally through translation, amino acid sequence similarity searches, annotation of public databases and functional data. PipeOnline generates an annotated database, retaining the processed unigene sequence, clone/file history, alignments with similar sequences, and proposed functional classification, if available. Functional annotation is automatic and based on a novel method that relies on homology of amino acid sequence multiplicity within GenBank records. Records are examined through a function ordered browser or keyword queries with automated export of results. PipeOnline offers customization for individual projects (MyPipeOnline), automated updating and alert service. PipeOnline is available at http://stress-genomics.org.

  7. Comparative expression profiling in grape (Vitis vinifera) berries derived from frequency analysis of ESTs and MPSS signatures.

    PubMed

    Iandolino, Alberto; Nobuta, Kan; da Silva, Francisco Goes; Cook, Douglas R; Meyers, Blake C

    2008-05-12

    Vitis vinifera (V. vinifera) is the primary grape species cultivated for wine production, with an industry valued annually in the billions of dollars worldwide. In order to sustain and increase grape production, it is necessary to understand the genetic makeup of grape species. Here we performed mRNA profiling using Massively Parallel Signature Sequencing (MPSS) and combined it with available Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) data. These tag-based technologies, which do not require a priori knowledge of genomic sequence, are well-suited for transcriptional profiling. The sequence depth of MPSS allowed us to capture and quantify almost all the transcripts at a specific stage in the development of the grape berry. The number and relative abundance of transcripts from stage II grape berries was defined using Massively Parallel Signature Sequencing (MPSS). A total of 2,635,293 17-base and 2,259,286 20-base signatures were obtained, representing at least 30,737 and 26,878 distinct sequences. The average normalized abundance per signature was approximately 49 TPM (Transcripts Per Million). Comparisons of the MPSS signatures with available Vitis species' ESTs and a unigene set demonstrated that 6,430 distinct contigs and 2,190 singletons have a perfect match to at least one MPSS signature. Among the matched sequences, ESTs were identified from tissues other than berries or from berries at different developmental stages. Additional MPSS signatures not matching to known grape ESTs can extend our knowledge of the V. vinifera transcriptome, particularly when these data are used to assist in annotation of whole genome sequences from Vitis vinifera. The MPSS data presented here not only achieved a higher level of saturation than previous EST based analyses, but in doing so, expand the known set of transcripts of grape berries during the unique stage in development that immediately precedes the onset of ripening. The MPSS dataset also revealed evidence of antisense expression not

  8. A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing.

    PubMed

    Pereira-Leal, José B; Abreu, Isabel A; Alabaça, Cláudia S; Almeida, Maria Helena; Almeida, Paulo; Almeida, Tânia; Amorim, Maria Isabel; Araújo, Susana; Azevedo, Herlânder; Badia, Aleix; Batista, Dora; Bohn, Andreas; Capote, Tiago; Carrasquinho, Isabel; Chaves, Inês; Coelho, Ana Cristina; Costa, Maria Manuela Ribeiro; Costa, Rita; Cravador, Alfredo; Egas, Conceição; Faro, Carlos; Fortes, Ana M; Fortunato, Ana S; Gaspar, Maria João; Gonçalves, Sónia; Graça, José; Horta, Marília; Inácio, Vera; Leitão, José M; Lino-Neto, Teresa; Marum, Liliana; Matos, José; Mendonça, Diogo; Miguel, Andreia; Miguel, Célia M; Morais-Cecílio, Leonor; Neves, Isabel; Nóbrega, Filomena; Oliveira, Maria Margarida; Oliveira, Rute; Pais, Maria Salomé; Paiva, Jorge A; Paulo, Octávio S; Pinheiro, Miguel; Raimundo, João A P; Ramalho, José C; Ribeiro, Ana I; Ribeiro, Teresa; Rocheta, Margarida; Rodrigues, Ana Isabel; Rodrigues, José C; Saibo, Nelson J M; Santo, Tatiana E; Santos, Ana Margarida; Sá-Pereira, Paula; Sebastiana, Mónica; Simões, Fernanda; Sobral, Rómulo S; Tavares, Rui; Teixeira, Rita; Varela, Carolina; Veloso, Maria Manuela; Ricardo, Cândido P P

    2014-05-15

    Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.

  9. The first set of EST resource for gene discovery and marker development in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.).

    PubMed

    Raju, Nikku L; Gnanesh, Belaghihalli N; Lekha, Pazhamala; Jayashree, Balaji; Pande, Suresh; Hiremath, Pavana J; Byregowda, Munishamappa; Singh, Nagendra K; Varshney, Rajeev K

    2010-03-11

    Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp) is one of the major grain legume crops of the tropics and subtropics, but biotic stresses [Fusarium wilt (FW), sterility mosaic disease (SMD), etc.] are serious challenges for sustainable crop production. Modern genomic tools such as molecular markers and candidate genes associated with resistance to these stresses offer the possibility of facilitating pigeonpea breeding for improving biotic stress resistance. Availability of limited genomic resources, however, is a serious bottleneck to undertake molecular breeding in pigeonpea to develop superior genotypes with enhanced resistance to above mentioned biotic stresses. With an objective of enhancing genomic resources in pigeonpea, this study reports generation and analysis of comprehensive resource of FW- and SMD- responsive expressed sequence tags (ESTs). A total of 16 cDNA libraries were constructed from four pigeonpea genotypes that are resistant and susceptible to FW ('ICPL 20102' and 'ICP 2376') and SMD ('ICP 7035' and 'TTB 7') and a total of 9,888 (9,468 high quality) ESTs were generated and deposited in dbEST of GenBank under accession numbers GR463974 to GR473857 and GR958228 to GR958231. Clustering and assembly analyses of these ESTs resulted into 4,557 unique sequences (unigenes) including 697 contigs and 3,860 singletons. BLASTN analysis of 4,557 unigenes showed a significant identity with ESTs of different legumes (23.2-60.3%), rice (28.3%), Arabidopsis (33.7%) and poplar (35.4%). As expected, pigeonpea ESTs are more closely related to soybean (60.3%) and cowpea ESTs (43.6%) than other plant ESTs. Similarly, BLASTX similarity results showed that only 1,603 (35.1%) out of 4,557 total unigenes correspond to known proteins in the UniProt database (

  10. The first set of EST resource for gene discovery and marker development in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.)

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp) is one of the major grain legume crops of the tropics and subtropics, but biotic stresses [Fusarium wilt (FW), sterility mosaic disease (SMD), etc.] are serious challenges for sustainable crop production. Modern genomic tools such as molecular markers and candidate genes associated with resistance to these stresses offer the possibility of facilitating pigeonpea breeding for improving biotic stress resistance. Availability of limited genomic resources, however, is a serious bottleneck to undertake molecular breeding in pigeonpea to develop superior genotypes with enhanced resistance to above mentioned biotic stresses. With an objective of enhancing genomic resources in pigeonpea, this study reports generation and analysis of comprehensive resource of FW- and SMD- responsive expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Results A total of 16 cDNA libraries were constructed from four pigeonpea genotypes that are resistant and susceptible to FW ('ICPL 20102' and 'ICP 2376') and SMD ('ICP 7035' and 'TTB 7') and a total of 9,888 (9,468 high quality) ESTs were generated and deposited in dbEST of GenBank under accession numbers GR463974 to GR473857 and GR958228 to GR958231. Clustering and assembly analyses of these ESTs resulted into 4,557 unique sequences (unigenes) including 697 contigs and 3,860 singletons. BLASTN analysis of 4,557 unigenes showed a significant identity with ESTs of different legumes (23.2-60.3%), rice (28.3%), Arabidopsis (33.7%) and poplar (35.4%). As expected, pigeonpea ESTs are more closely related to soybean (60.3%) and cowpea ESTs (43.6%) than other plant ESTs. Similarly, BLASTX similarity results showed that only 1,603 (35.1%) out of 4,557 total unigenes correspond to known proteins in the UniProt database (≤ 1E-08). Functional categorization of the annotated unigenes sequences showed that 153 (3.3%) genes were assigned to cellular component category, 132 (2.8%) to biological process, and 132 (2.8%) in

  11. From biomedicine to natural history research: EST resources for ambystomatid salamanders

    PubMed Central

    Putta, Srikrishna; Smith, Jeramiah J; Walker, John A; Rondet, Mathieu; Weisrock, David W; Monaghan, James; Samuels, Amy K; Kump, Kevin; King, David C; Maness, Nicholas J; Habermann, Bianca; Tanaka, Elly; Bryant, Susan V; Gardiner, David M; Parichy, David M; Voss, S Randal

    2004-01-01

    Background Establishing genomic resources for closely related species will provide comparative insights that are crucial for understanding diversity and variability at multiple levels of biological organization. We developed ESTs for Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and Eastern tiger salamander (A. tigrinum tigrinum), species with deep and diverse research histories. Results Approximately 40,000 quality cDNA sequences were isolated for these species from various tissues, including regenerating limb and tail. These sequences and an existing set of 16,030 cDNA sequences for A. mexicanum were processed to yield 35,413 and 20,599 high quality ESTs for A. mexicanum and A. t. tigrinum, respectively. Because the A. t. tigrinum ESTs were obtained primarily from a normalized library, an approximately equal number of contigs were obtained for each species, with 21,091 unique contigs identified overall. The 10,592 contigs that showed significant similarity to sequences from the human RefSeq database reflected a diverse array of molecular functions and biological processes, with many corresponding to genes expressed during spinal cord injury in rat and fin regeneration in zebrafish. To demonstrate the utility of these EST resources, we searched databases to identify probes for regeneration research, characterized intra- and interspecific nucleotide polymorphism, saturated a human – Ambystoma synteny group with marker loci, and extended PCR primer sets designed for A. mexicanum / A. t. tigrinum orthologues to a related tiger salamander species. Conclusions Our study highlights the value of developing resources in traditional model systems where the likelihood of information transfer to multiple, closely related taxa is high, thus simultaneously enabling both laboratory and natural history research. PMID:15310388

  12. Turbulence investigation and reproduction for assisting downstream migrating juvenile salmonids, Part II of II: Effects of induced turbulence on behavior of juvenile salmon, 2001-2005 final report

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Perry, R.; Farley , M.; Hansen, G.; Morse , J.; Rondorf, D.

    2005-01-01

    Passage through dams is a major source of mortality of anadromous juvenile salmonids because some populations must negotiate up to eight dams in Columbia and Snake rivers. Dams cause direct mortality when fish pass through turbines, but dams may also cause indirect mortality by altering migration conditions in rivers. Forebays immediately upstream of dams have decreased the water velocity of rivers and may contribute substantially to the total migration delay of juvenile salmonids. Recently, Coutant (2001a) suggested that in addition to low water velocities, lack of natural turbulence may contribute to migration delay by causing fish to lose directional cues. Coutant (2001a) further hypothesized that restoring turbulence in dam forebays may reduce migration delay by providing directional cues that allow fish to find passage routes more quickly (Coutant 2001a). Although field experiments have yielded proof of the concept of using induced turbulence to guide fish to safe passage routes, little is known about mechanisms actually causing behavioral changes. To test hypotheses about how turbulence influences movement and behavior of migrating juvenile salmonids, we conducted two types of controlled experiments at Cowlitz Falls Dam, Washington. A common measure of migration delay is the elapsed time between arrival at, and passage through, a dam. Therefore, for the first set of experiments, we tested the effect of induced turbulence on the elapsed time needed for fish to traverse through a raceway and pass over a weir at its downstream end (time trial experiment). If turbulence helps guide fish to passage routes, then fish should pass through the raceway quicker in the presence of appropriately scaled and directed turbulent cues. Second, little is known about how the physical properties of water movement provide directional cues to migrating juvenile salmonids. To examine the feasibility of guiding fish with turbulence, we tested whether directed turbulence could guide

  13. Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, as a possible paratenic host for salmonid nematodes in a subarctic lake.

    PubMed

    Braicovich, Paola E; Kuhn, Jesper A; Amundsen, Per-Arne; Marcogliese, David J

    2016-03-01

    In Takvatn, a subarctic lake in northern Norway, 35 of 162 three-spined sticklebacks examined were infected with 106 specimens of third-stage larvae of Philonema oncorhynchi. The prevalence and mean intensity of P. oncorhynchi were 10 % and 2.0 in 2013 and 24 % and 3.0 in 2014, respectively. A single specimen of Cystidicola farionis was found in an additional sample. While the latter is considered an accidental infection, three-spined sticklebacks may function as paratenic hosts of P. oncorhynchi, potentially enhancing its transmission to salmonids due to their central role in the lacustrine food web of this subarctic lake.

  14. A new set of ESTs and cDNA clones from full-length and normalized libraries for gene discovery and functional characterization in citrus

    PubMed Central

    Marques, M Carmen; Alonso-Cantabrana, Hugo; Forment, Javier; Arribas, Raquel; Alamar, Santiago; Conejero, Vicente; Perez-Amador, Miguel A

    2009-01-01

    Background Interpretation of ever-increasing raw sequence information generated by modern genome sequencing technologies faces multiple challenges, such as gene function analysis and genome annotation. Indeed, nearly 40% of genes in plants encode proteins of unknown function. Functional characterization of these genes is one of the main challenges in modern biology. In this regard, the availability of full-length cDNA clones may fill in the gap created between sequence information and biological knowledge. Full-length cDNA clones facilitate functional analysis of the corresponding genes enabling manipulation of their expression in heterologous systems and the generation of a variety of tagged versions of the native protein. In addition, the development of full-length cDNA sequences has the power to improve the quality of genome annotation. Results We developed an integrated method to generate a new normalized EST collection enriched in full-length and rare transcripts of different citrus species from multiple tissues and developmental stages. We constructed a total of 15 cDNA libraries, from which we isolated 10,898 high-quality ESTs representing 6142 different genes. Percentages of redundancy and proportion of full-length clones range from 8 to 33, and 67 to 85, respectively, indicating good efficiency of the approach employed. The new EST collection adds 2113 new citrus ESTs, representing 1831 unigenes, to the collection of citrus genes available in the public databases. To facilitate functional analysis, cDNAs were introduced in a Gateway-based cloning vector for high-throughput functional analysis of genes in planta. Herein, we describe the technical methods used in the library construction, sequence analysis of clones and the overexpression of CitrSEP, a citrus homolog to the Arabidopsis SEP3 gene, in Arabidopsis as an example of a practical application of the engineered Gateway vector for functional analysis. Conclusion The new EST collection denotes an

  15. EST Analysis of Hop Glandular Trichomes Identifies an O-Methyltransferase That Catalyzes the Biosynthesis of Xanthohumol[W][OA

    PubMed Central

    Nagel, Jana; Culley, Lana K.; Lu, Yuping; Liu, Enwu; Matthews, Paul D.; Stevens, Jan F.; Page, Jonathan E.

    2008-01-01

    The glandular trichomes (lupulin glands) of hop (Humulus lupulus) synthesize essential oils and terpenophenolic resins, including the bioactive prenylflavonoid xanthohumol. To dissect the biosynthetic processes occurring in lupulin glands, we sequenced 10,581 ESTs from four trichome-derived cDNA libraries. ESTs representing enzymes of terpenoid biosynthesis, including all of the steps of the methyl 4-erythritol phosphate pathway, were abundant in the EST data set, as were ESTs for the known type III polyketide synthases of bitter acid and xanthohumol biosynthesis. The xanthohumol biosynthetic pathway involves a key O-methylation step. Four S-adenosyl-l-methionine–dependent O-methyltransferases (OMTs) with similarity to known flavonoid-methylating enzymes were present in the EST data set. OMT1, which was the most highly expressed OMT based on EST abundance and RT-PCR analysis, performs the final reaction in xanthohumol biosynthesis by methylating desmethylxanthohumol to form xanthohumol. OMT2 accepted a broad range of substrates, including desmethylxanthohumol, but did not form xanthohumol. Mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed it methylated xanthohumol to 4-O-methylxanthohumol, which is not known from hop. OMT3 was inactive with all substrates tested. The lupulin gland-specific EST data set expands the genomic resources for H. lupulus and provides further insight into the metabolic specialization of glandular trichomes. PMID:18223037

  16. Gene evolution and gene expression after whole genome duplication in fish: the PhyloFish database.

    PubMed

    Pasquier, Jeremy; Cabau, Cédric; Nguyen, Thaovi; Jouanno, Elodie; Severac, Dany; Braasch, Ingo; Journot, Laurent; Pontarotti, Pierre; Klopp, Christophe; Postlethwait, John H; Guiguen, Yann; Bobe, Julien

    2016-05-18

    With more than 30,000 species, ray-finned fish represent approximately half of vertebrates. The evolution of ray-finned fish was impacted by several whole genome duplication (WGD) events including a teleost-specific WGD event (TGD) that occurred at the root of the teleost lineage about 350 million years ago (Mya) and more recent WGD events in salmonids, carps, suckers and others. In plants and animals, WGD events are associated with adaptive radiations and evolutionary innovations. WGD-spurred innovation may be especially relevant in the case of teleost fish, which colonized a wide diversity of habitats on earth, including many extreme environments. Fish biodiversity, the use of fish models for human medicine and ecological studies, and the importance of fish in human nutrition, fuel an important need for the characterization of gene expression repertoires and corresponding evolutionary histories of ray-finned fish genes. To this aim, we performed transcriptome analyses and developed the PhyloFish database to provide (i) de novo assembled gene repertoires in 23 different ray-finned fish species including two holosteans (i.e. a group that diverged from teleosts before TGD) and 21 teleosts (including six salmonids), and (ii) gene expression levels in ten different tissues and organs (and embryos for many) in the same species. This resource was generated using a common deep RNA sequencing protocol to obtain the most exhaustive gene repertoire possible in each species that allows between-species comparisons to study the evolution of gene expression in different lineages. The PhyloFish database described here can be accessed and searched using RNAbrowse, a simple and efficient solution to give access to RNA-seq de novo assembled transcripts.

  17. MicroTrout: A comprehensive, genome-wide miRNA target prediction framework for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

    PubMed

    Mennigen, Jan A; Zhang, Dapeng

    2016-12-01

    Rainbow trout represent an important teleost research model and aquaculture species. As such, rainbow trout are employed in diverse areas of biological research, including basic biological disciplines such as comparative physiology, toxicology, and, since rainbow trout have undergone both teleost- and salmonid-specific rounds of genome duplication, molecular evolution. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs, small non-protein coding RNAs) have emerged as important posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression in animals. Given the increasingly recognized importance of miRNAs as an additional layer in the regulation of gene expression and hence biological function, recent efforts using RNA- and genome sequencing approaches have resulted in the creation of several resources for the construction of a comprehensive repertoire of rainbow trout miRNAs and isomiRs (variant miRNA sequences that all appear to derive from the same gene but vary in sequence due to post-transcriptional processing). Importantly, through the recent publication of the rainbow trout genome (Berthelot et al., 2014), mRNA 3'UTR information has become available, allowing for the first time the genome-wide prediction of miRNA-target RNA relationships in this species. We here report the creation of the microtrout database, a comprehensive resource for rainbow trout miRNA and annotated 3'UTRs. The comprehensive database was used to implement an algorithm to predict genome-wide rainbow trout-specific miRNA-mRNA target relationships, generating an improved predictive framework over previously published approaches. This work will serve as a useful framework and sequence resource to experimentally address the role of miRNAs in several research areas using the rainbow trout model, examples of which are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Genomic signatures among Oncorhynchus nerka ecotypes to inform conservation and management of endangered Sockeye Salmon.

    PubMed

    Nichols, Krista M; Kozfkay, Christine C; Narum, Shawn R

    2016-12-01

    Conservation of life history variation is an important consideration for many species with trade-offs in migratory characteristics. Many salmonid species exhibit both resident and migratory strategies that capitalize on benefits in freshwater and marine environments. In this study, we investigated genomic signatures for migratory life history in collections of resident and anadromous Oncorhynchus nerka (Kokanee and Sockeye Salmon, respectively) from two lake systems, using ~2,600 SNPs from restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq). Differing demographic histories were evident in the two systems where one pair was significantly differentiated (Redfish Lake, F ST  = 0.091 [95% confidence interval: 0.087 to 0.095]) but the other pair was not (Alturas Lake, F ST  = -0.007 [-0.008 to -0.006]). Outlier and association analyses identified several candidate markers in each population pair, but there was limited evidence for parallel signatures of genomic variation associated with migration. Despite lack of evidence for consistent markers associated with migratory life history in this species, candidate markers were mapped to functional genes and provide evidence for adaptive genetic variation within each lake system. Life history variation has been maintained in these nearly extirpated populations of O. nerka, and conservation efforts to preserve this diversity are important for long-term resiliency of this species.

  19. A survey of the distribution of the PKD-parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Cnidaria: Myxozoa: Malacosporea) in salmonids in Norwegian rivers - additional information gleaned from formerly collected fish.

    PubMed

    Mo, T A; Jørgensen, A

    2017-05-01

    The malacosporean Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae was detected in kidneys from Atlantic salmon parr in 64 of 91 sampled Norwegian rivers. Using real-time PCR, this parasite was found to be present in Atlantic salmon parr in rivers along the whole coast, from the northernmost and southernmost areas of the country. In addition, T. bryosalmonae was found in kidneys from brown trout parr in 17 of 19 sampled rivers in south-east Norway, and in Arctic charr sampled in the River Risfjordelva, located at the northernmost edge of the European mainland. In conclusion, T. bryosalmonae has a widespread distribution in salmonids in Norwegian watercourses. Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) caused by T. bryosalmonae and PKD-induced mortality has been observed in salmonids in several Norwegian rivers and it can be speculated that more PKD outbreaks will occur as a result of climate change. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Fish Diseases Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. In silico identification and characterization of conserved miRNAs and their target genes in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs)

    PubMed Central

    Dehury, Budheswar; Panda, Debashis; Sahu, Jagajjit; Sahu, Mousumi; Sarma, Kishore; Barooah, Madhumita; Sen, Priyabrata; Modi, Mahendra Kumar

    2013-01-01

    The endogenous small non-coding micro RNAs (miRNAs), which are typically ~21–24 nt nucleotides, play a crucial role in regulating the intrinsic normal growth of cells and development of the plants as well as in maintaining the integrity of genomes. These small non-coding RNAs function as the universal specificity factors in post-transcriptional gene silencing. Discovering miRNAs, identifying their targets, and further inferring miRNA functions is a routine process to understand normal biological processes of miRNAs and their roles in the development of plants. Comparative genomics based approach using expressed sequence tags (EST) and genome survey sequences (GSS) offer a cost-effective platform for identification and characterization of miRNAs and their target genes in plants. Despite the fact that sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is an important staple food source for poor small farmers throughout the world, the role of miRNA in various developmental processes remains largely unknown. In this paper, we report the computational identification of miRNAs and their target genes in sweet potato from their ESTs. Using comparative genomics-based approach, 8 potential miRNA candidates belonging to miR168, miR2911, and miR156 families were identified from 23 406 ESTs in sweet potato. A total of 42 target genes were predicted and their probable functions were illustrated. Most of the newly identified miRNAs target transcription factors as well as genes involved in plant growth and development, signal transduction, metabolism, defense, and stress response. The identification of miRNAs and their targets is expected to accelerate the pace of miRNA discovery, leading to an improved understanding of the role of miRNA in development and physiology of sweet potato, as well as stress response. PMID:24067297

  1. Initial Detection and Molecular Characterization of Namaycush Herpesvirus (Salmonid Herpesvirus 5) in Lake Trout.

    PubMed

    Glenney, Gavin W; Barbash, Patricia A; Coll, John A

    2016-03-01

    A novel herpesvirus was found by molecular methods in samples of Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush from Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, and Lake Ontario, Keuka Lake, and Lake Otsego, New York. Based on PCR amplification and partial sequencing of polymerase, terminase, and glycoprotein genes, a number of isolates were identified as a novel virus, which we have named Namaycush herpesvirus (NamHV) salmonid herpesvirus 5 (SalHV5). Phylogenetic analyses of three NamHV genes indicated strong clustering with other members of the genus Salmonivirus, placing these isolates into family Alloherpesviridae. The NamHV isolates were identical in the three partially sequenced genes; however, they varied from other salmonid herpesviruses in nucleotide sequence identity. In all three of the genes sequenced, NamHV shared the highest sequence identity with Atlantic Salmon papillomatosis virus (ASPV; SalHV4) isolated from Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar in northern Europe, including northwestern Russia. These results lead one to believe that NamHV and ASPV have a common ancestor that may have made a relatively recent host jump from Atlantic Salmon to Lake Trout or vice versa. Partial nucleotide sequence comparisons between NamHV and ASPV for the polymerase and glycoprotein genes differ by >5% and >10%, respectively. Additional nucleotide sequence comparisons between NamHV and epizootic epitheliotropic disease virus (EEDV/SalHV3) in the terminase, glycoprotein, and polymerase genes differ by >5%, >20%, and >10%, respectively. Thus, NamHV and EEDV may be occupying discrete ecological niches in Lake Trout. Even though NamHV shared the highest genetic identity with ASPV, each of these viruses has a separate host species, which also implies speciation. Additionally, NamHV has been detected over the last 4 years in four separate water bodies across two states, which suggests that NamHV is a distinct, naturally replicating lineage. This, in combination with a divergence in nucleotide sequence from EEDV

  2. Predation by Resident Fish on Juvenile Salmonids in John Day Reservoir: Final Report, 1983-1986: Volume 1, Final Report of Research.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Poe, Thomas P.; Rieman, Bruce E.

    1988-07-01

    In 1982 the NPPC included in its Fish and Wildlife Program a measure that called for studies ''... to investigate juvenile salmon and steelhead losses to predators while these fish are migrating through Columbia and Snake River reservoirs.'' In the same year the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funded ODFW and FWS to conduct collaborative studies to estimate the number of juvenile salmonids lost to predators in John Day Reservoir. Also included as study objectives were: (1) a description of the importance of predation losses relative to mortality at the dam and total reservoir mortality; (2) a description of how predationmore » losses might vary (spatially and temporally); and (3) recommendations of measures to control predation on smolts. We studied four species of predator: northern squawfish, walleye, smallmouth bass, and channel catfish. We selected John Day Reservoir as the study site because the following factors led us to believe if predation was a problem in any reservoir, it would be most obvious there because: (1) the reservoir is an important subyearling chinook rearing area; (2) passage and residualism of juvenile salmonids were considered a problem there; and (3) substantial populations of predators were known to reside in the reservoir. Individual reports were processed separately for the data base.« less

  3. MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences.

    PubMed

    Mewes, H W; Frishman, D; Güldener, U; Mannhaupt, G; Mayer, K; Mokrejs, M; Morgenstern, B; Münsterkötter, M; Rudd, S; Weil, B

    2002-01-01

    The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF, Neuherberg, Germany) continues to provide genome-related information in a systematic way. MIPS supports both national and European sequencing and functional analysis projects, develops and maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences, and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes), the database of annotated human EST clusters (HIB), the database of complete cDNAs from the DHGP (German Human Genome Project), as well as the project specific databases for the GABI (Genome Analysis in Plants) and HNB (Helmholtz-Netzwerk Bioinformatik) networks. The Arabidospsis thaliana database (MATDB), the database of mitochondrial proteins (MITOP) and our contribution to the PIR International Protein Sequence Database have been described elsewhere [Schoof et al. (2002) Nucleic Acids Res., 30, 91-93; Scharfe et al. (2000) Nucleic Acids Res., 28, 155-158; Barker et al. (2001) Nucleic Acids Res., 29, 29-32]. All databases described, the protein analysis tools provided and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS World Wide Web server (http://mips.gsf.de).

  4. Assessing survival of Mid-Columbia River released juvenile salmonids at McNary Dam, Washington, 2008-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Evans, Scott D.; Walker, Christopher E.; Brewer, Scott J.; Adams, Noah S.

    2010-01-01

    Few studies have evaluated survival of juvenile salmon over long river reaches in the Columbia River and information regarding the survival of sockeye salmon at lower Columbia River dams is lacking. To address these information gaps, the U.S. Geological Survey was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the possibility of using tagged fish released in the Mid-Columbia River to assess passage and survival at and downstream of McNary Dam. Using the acoustic telemetry systems already in place for a passage and survival study at McNary Dam, fish released from the tailraces of Wells, Rocky Reach, Rock Island, Wanapum, and Priest Rapids Dams were detected at McNary Dam and at the subsequent downstream arrays. These data were used to generate route-specific survival probabilities using single-release models from fish released in the Mid-Columbia River. We document trends in passage and survival probabilities at McNary Dam for yearling Chinook and sockeye salmon and juvenile steelhead released during studies in the Mid-Columbia River. Trends in the survival and passage of these juvenile salmonid species are presented and discussed. However, comparisons made across years and between study groups are not possible because of differences in the source of the test fish, the type of acoustic tags used, the absence of the use of passive integrated transponder tags in some of the release groups, differences in tagging and release protocols, annual differences in dam operations and configurations, differences in how the survival models were constructed (that is, number of routes that could be estimated given the number of fish detected), and the number and length of reaches included in the analysis (downstream reach length and arrays). Despite these differences, the data we present offer a unique opportunity to examine the migration behavior and survival of a group of fish that otherwise would not be studied. This is particularly true for sockeye salmon because

  5. EST-derived SSR markers used as anchor loci for the construction of a consensus linkage map in ryegrass (Lolium spp.)

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Genetic markers and linkage mapping are basic prerequisites for marker-assisted selection and map-based cloning. In the case of the key grassland species Lolium spp., numerous mapping populations have been developed and characterised for various traits. Although some genetic linkage maps of these populations have been aligned with each other using publicly available DNA markers, the number of common markers among genetic maps is still low, limiting the ability to compare candidate gene and QTL locations across germplasm. Results A set of 204 expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers has been assigned to map positions using eight different ryegrass mapping populations. Marker properties of a subset of 64 EST-SSRs were assessed in six to eight individuals of each mapping population and revealed 83% of the markers to be polymorphic in at least one population and an average number of alleles of 4.88. EST-SSR markers polymorphic in multiple populations served as anchor markers and allowed the construction of the first comprehensive consensus map for ryegrass. The integrated map was complemented with 97 SSRs from previously published linkage maps and finally contained 284 EST-derived and genomic SSR markers. The total map length was 742 centiMorgan (cM), ranging for individual chromosomes from 70 cM of linkage group (LG) 6 to 171 cM of LG 2. Conclusions The consensus linkage map for ryegrass based on eight mapping populations and constructed using a large set of publicly available Lolium EST-SSRs mapped for the first time together with previously mapped SSR markers will allow for consolidating existing mapping and QTL information in ryegrass. Map and markers presented here will prove to be an asset in the development for both molecular breeding of ryegrass as well as comparative genetics and genomics within grass species. PMID:20712870

  6. Discovery of genes implicated in whirling disease infection and resistance in rainbow trout using genome-wide expression profiling

    PubMed Central

    Baerwald, Melinda R; Welsh, Amy B; Hedrick, Ronald P; May, Bernie

    2008-01-01

    Background Whirling disease, caused by the pathogen Myxobolus cerebralis, afflicts several salmonid species. Rainbow trout are particularly susceptible and may suffer high mortality rates. The disease is persistent and spreading in hatcheries and natural waters of several countries, including the U.S.A., and the economic losses attributed to whirling disease are substantial. In this study, genome-wide expression profiling using cDNA microarrays was conducted for resistant Hofer and susceptible Trout Lodge rainbow trout strains following pathogen exposure with the primary objective of identifying specific genes implicated in whirling disease resistance. Results Several genes were significantly up-regulated in skin following pathogen exposure for both the resistant and susceptible rainbow trout strains. For both strains, response to infection appears to be linked with the interferon system. Expression profiles for three genes identified with microarrays were confirmed with qRT-PCR. Ubiquitin-like protein 1 was up-regulated over 100 fold and interferon regulating factor 1 was up-regulated over 15 fold following pathogen exposure for both strains. Expression of metallothionein B, which has known roles in inflammation and immune response, was up-regulated over 5 fold in the resistant Hofer strain but was unchanged in the susceptible Trout Lodge strain following pathogen exposure. Conclusion The present study has provided an initial view into the genetic basis underlying immune response and resistance of rainbow trout to the whirling disease parasite. The identified genes have allowed us to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms implicated in salmonid immune response and resistance to whirling disease infection. PMID:18218127

  7. nGASP - the nematode genome annotation assessment project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Coghlan, A; Fiedler, T J; McKay, S J

    2008-12-19

    While the C. elegans genome is extensively annotated, relatively little information is available for other Caenorhabditis species. The nematode genome annotation assessment project (nGASP) was launched to objectively assess the accuracy of protein-coding gene prediction software in C. elegans, and to apply this knowledge to the annotation of the genomes of four additional Caenorhabditis species and other nematodes. Seventeen groups worldwide participated in nGASP, and submitted 47 prediction sets for 10 Mb of the C. elegans genome. Predictions were compared to reference gene sets consisting of confirmed or manually curated gene models from WormBase. The most accurate gene-finders were 'combiner'more » algorithms, which made use of transcript- and protein-alignments and multi-genome alignments, as well as gene predictions from other gene-finders. Gene-finders that used alignments of ESTs, mRNAs and proteins came in second place. There was a tie for third place between gene-finders that used multi-genome alignments and ab initio gene-finders. The median gene level sensitivity of combiners was 78% and their specificity was 42%, which is nearly the same accuracy as reported for combiners in the human genome. C. elegans genes with exons of unusual hexamer content, as well as those with many exons, short exons, long introns, a weak translation start signal, weak splice sites, or poorly conserved orthologs were the most challenging for gene-finders. While the C. elegans genome is extensively annotated, relatively little information is available for other Caenorhabditis species. The nematode genome annotation assessment project (nGASP) was launched to objectively assess the accuracy of protein-coding gene prediction software in C. elegans, and to apply this knowledge to the annotation of the genomes of four additional Caenorhabditis species and other nematodes. Seventeen groups worldwide participated in nGASP, and submitted 47 prediction sets for 10 Mb of the C. elegans

  8. Bioinformatic analysis of ESTs collected by Sanger and pyrosequencing methods for a keystone forest tree species: oak

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background The Fagaceae family comprises about 1,000 woody species worldwide. About half belong to the Quercus family. These oaks are often a source of raw material for biomass wood and fiber. Pedunculate and sessile oaks, are among the most important deciduous forest tree species in Europe. Despite their ecological and economical importance, very few genomic resources have yet been generated for these species. Here, we describe the development of an EST catalogue that will support ecosystem genomics studies, where geneticists, ecophysiologists, molecular biologists and ecologists join their efforts for understanding, monitoring and predicting functional genetic diversity. Results We generated 145,827 sequence reads from 20 cDNA libraries using the Sanger method. Unexploitable chromatograms and quality checking lead us to eliminate 19,941 sequences. Finally a total of 125,925 ESTs were retained from 111,361 cDNA clones. Pyrosequencing was also conducted for 14 libraries, generating 1,948,579 reads, from which 370,566 sequences (19.0%) were eliminated, resulting in 1,578,192 sequences. Following clustering and assembly using TGICL pipeline, 1,704,117 EST sequences collapsed into 69,154 tentative contigs and 153,517 singletons, providing 222,671 non-redundant sequences (including alternative transcripts). We also assembled the sequences using MIRA and PartiGene software and compared the three unigene sets. Gene ontology annotation was then assigned to 29,303 unigene elements. Blast search against the SWISS-PROT database revealed putative homologs for 32,810 (14.7%) unigene elements, but more extensive search with Pfam, Refseq_protein, Refseq_RNA and eight gene indices revealed homology for 67.4% of them. The EST catalogue was examined for putative homologs of candidate genes involved in bud phenology, cuticle formation, phenylpropanoids biosynthesis and cell wall formation. Our results suggest a good coverage of genes involved in these traits. Comparative orthologous

  9. Sampling gene diversity across the supergroup Amoebozoa: large EST data sets from Acanthamoeba castellanii, Hartmannella vermiformis, Physarum polycephalum, Hyperamoeba dachnaya and Hyperamoeba sp.

    PubMed

    Watkins, Russell F; Gray, Michael W

    2008-04-01

    From comparative analysis of EST data for five taxa within the eukaryotic supergroup Amoebozoa, including two free-living amoebae (Acanthamoeba castellanii, Hartmannella vermiformis) and three slime molds (Physarum polycephalum, Hyperamoeba dachnaya and Hyperamoeba sp.), we obtained new broad-range perspectives on the evolution and biosynthetic capacity of this assemblage. Together with genome sequences for the amoebozoans Dictyostelium discoideum and Entamoeba histolytica, and including partial genome sequence available for A. castellanii, we used the EST data to identify genes that appear to be exclusive to the supergroup, and to specific clades therein. Many of these genes are likely involved in cell-cell communication or differentiation. In examining on a broad scale a number of characters that previously have been considered in simpler cross-species comparisons, typically between Dictyostelium and Entamoeba, we find that Amoebozoa as a whole exhibits striking variation in the number and distribution of biosynthetic pathways, for example, ones for certain critical stress-response molecules, including trehalose and mannitol. Finally, we report additional compelling cases of lateral gene transfer within Amoebozoa, further emphasizing that although this process has influenced genome evolution in all examined amoebozoan taxa, it has done so to a variable extent.

  10. Development of New Candidate Gene and EST-Based Molecular Markers for Gossypium Species

    PubMed Central

    Buyyarapu, Ramesh; Kantety, Ramesh V.; Yu, John Z.; Saha, Sukumar; Sharma, Govind C.

    2011-01-01

    New source of molecular markers accelerate the efforts in improving cotton fiber traits and aid in developing high-density integrated genetic maps. We developed new markers based on candidate genes and G. arboreum EST sequences that were used for polymorphism detection followed by genetic and physical mapping. Nineteen gene-based markers were surveyed for polymorphism detection in 26 Gossypium species. Cluster analysis generated a phylogenetic tree with four major sub-clusters for 23 species while three species branched out individually. CAP method enhanced the rate of polymorphism of candidate gene-based markers between G. hirsutum and G. barbadense. Two hundred A-genome based SSR markers were designed after datamining of G. arboreum EST sequences (Mississippi Gossypium arboreum   EST-SSR: MGAES). Over 70% of MGAES markers successfully produced amplicons while 65 of them demonstrated polymorphism between the parents of G. hirsutum and G. barbadense RIL population and formed 14 linkage groups. Chromosomal localization of both candidate gene-based and MGAES markers was assisted by euploid and hypoaneuploid CS-B analysis. Gene-based and MGAES markers were highly informative as they were designed from candidate genes and fiber transcriptome with a potential to be integrated into the existing cotton genetic and physical maps. PMID:22315588

  11. Toward allotetraploid cotton genome assembly: integration of a high-density molecular genetic linkage map with DNA sequence information

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Cotton is the world’s most important natural textile fiber and a significant oilseed crop. Decoding cotton genomes will provide the ultimate reference and resource for research and utilization of the species. Integration of high-density genetic maps with genomic sequence information will largely accelerate the process of whole-genome assembly in cotton. Results In this paper, we update a high-density interspecific genetic linkage map of allotetraploid cultivated cotton. An additional 1,167 marker loci have been added to our previously published map of 2,247 loci. Three new marker types, InDel (insertion-deletion) and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) developed from gene information, and REMAP (retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism), were used to increase map density. The updated map consists of 3,414 loci in 26 linkage groups covering 3,667.62 cM with an average inter-locus distance of 1.08 cM. Furthermore, genome-wide sequence analysis was finished using 3,324 informative sequence-based markers and publicly-available Gossypium DNA sequence information. A total of 413,113 EST and 195 BAC sequences were physically anchored and clustered by 3,324 sequence-based markers. Of these, 14,243 ESTs and 188 BACs from different species of Gossypium were clustered and specifically anchored to the high-density genetic map. A total of 2,748 candidate unigenes from 2,111 ESTs clusters and 63 BACs were mined for functional annotation and classification. The 337 ESTs/genes related to fiber quality traits were integrated with 132 previously reported cotton fiber quality quantitative trait loci, which demonstrated the important roles in fiber quality of these genes. Higher-level sequence conservation between different cotton species and between the A- and D-subgenomes in tetraploid cotton was found, indicating a common evolutionary origin for orthologous and paralogous loci in Gossypium. Conclusion This study will serve as a valuable genomic resource

  12. Functional response and capture timing in an individual-based model: predation by northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Petersen, James H.; DeAngelis, Donald L.

    1992-01-01

    The behavior of individual northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) preying on juvenile salmonids was modeled to address questions about capture rate and the timing of prey captures (random versus contagious). Prey density, predator weight, prey weight, temperature, and diel feeding pattern were first incorporated into predation equations analogous to Holling Type 2 and Type 3 functional response models. Type 2 and Type 3 equations fit field data from the Columbia River equally well, and both models predicted predation rates on five of seven independent dates. Selecting a functional response type may be complicated by variable predation rates, analytical methods, and assumptions of the model equations. Using the Type 2 functional response, random versus contagious timing of prey capture was tested using two related models. ln the simpler model, salmon captures were assumed to be controlled by a Poisson renewal process; in the second model, several salmon captures were assumed to occur during brief "feeding bouts", modeled with a compound Poisson process. Salmon captures by individual northern squawfish were clustered through time, rather than random, based on comparison of model simulations and field data. The contagious-feeding result suggests that salmonids may be encountered as patches or schools in the river.

  13. A comparative examination of cortisol effects on muscle myostatin and HSP90 gene expression in salmonids.

    PubMed

    Galt, Nicholas J; McCormick, Stephen D; Froehlich, Jacob Michael; Biga, Peggy R

    2016-10-01

    Cortisol, the primary corticosteroid in teleost fishes, is released in response to stressors to elicit local functions, however little is understood regarding muscle-specific responses to cortisol in these fishes. In mammals, glucocorticoids strongly regulate the muscle growth inhibitor, myostatin, via glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) leading to muscle atrophy. Bioinformatics methods suggest that this regulatory mechanism is conserved among vertebrates, however recent evidence suggests some fishes exhibit divergent regulation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the conserved actions of cortisol on myostatin and hsp90 expression to determine if variations in cortisol interactions have emerged in salmonid species. Representative salmonids; Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar); were injected intraperitoneally with a cortisol implant (50μg/g body weight) and muscle gene expression was quantified after 48h. Plasma glucose and cortisol levels were significantly elevated by cortisol in all species, demonstrating physiological effectiveness of the treatment. HSP90 mRNA levels were elevated by cortisol in brook trout, Chinook salmon, and Atlantic salmon, but were decreased in cutthroat trout. Myostatin mRNA levels were affected in a species, tissue (muscle type), and paralog specific manner. Cortisol treatment increased myostatin expression in brook trout (Salvelinus) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo), but not in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus) or cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus). Interestingly, the VC alone increased myostatin mRNA expression in Chinook and Atlantic salmon, while the addition of cortisol blocked the response. Taken together, these results suggest that cortisol affects muscle-specific gene expression in species-specific manners, with unique Oncorhynchus-specific divergence observed, that are not predictive solely based upon

  14. Rates of consumption of juvenile salmonids and alternative pray fish by northern squawfish, walleyes, smallmouth bass, and channel catfish in John Day Reservoir, Columbia River

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Vigg, Steven; Poe, Thomas P.; Prendergast , Linda A.; Hansel, Hal C.

    1991-01-01

    Adult northern squawfish Ptychocheilus oregonensis, walleyes Stizostedion vitreum, smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were sampled from four regions of John Day Reservoir from April to August 1983–1986 to quantify their consumption of 13 species of prey fish, particularly seaward-migrating juvenile Pacific salmon and steelhead (Oncorhynchus spp.). Consumption rates were estimated from field data on stomach contents and digestion rate relations determined in previous investigations. For each predator, consumption rates varied by reservoir area, month, time of day, and predator size or age. The greatest daily consumption of salmonids by northern squawfish and channel catfish (0.7 and 0.5 prey/predator) occurred in the upper end of the reservoir below McNary Dam. Greatest daily predation by walleyes (0.2 prey/predator) and smallmouth bass (0.04) occurred in the middle and lower reservoir. Consumption rates of all predators were highest in July, concurrent with maximum temperature and abundance of juvenile salmonids. Feeding by the predators tended to peak after dawn (0600–1200 hours) and near midnight (2000–2400). Northern squawfish below McNary Dam exhibited this pattern, but fed mainly in the morning hours down-reservoir. The daily ration of total prey fish was highest for northern squawfish over 451 mm fork length (> 13.2 mg/g predator), for walleyes 201–250 mm (42.5 mg/g), for smallmouth bass 176–200 mm (30.4 mg/g), and for channel catfish 401–450 mm (17.1 mg/g). Averaged over all predator sizes and sampling months (April–August), the total daily ration (fish plus other prey) of smallmouth bass (28.7 mg/ g) was about twice that of channel catfish (12.6), northern squawfish (14.1), and walleyes (14.2). However, northern squawfish was clearly the major predator on juvenile salmonids.

  15. Significance of Selective Predation and Development of Prey Protection Measures for Juvenile Salmonids in the Columbia and Snake River Reservoirs: Annual Progress Report, February 1993-February 1994.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Poe, Thomas P.

    1994-08-01

    This report addresses the problem of predator-prey interactions of juvenile salmonids in the Columbia and Snake River. Six papers are included on selective predation and prey protection. Attention is focused on monitoring the movements, the distribution, and the behavior of juvenile chinook salmon and northern squawfish.

  16. Improved annotation through genome-scale metabolic modeling of Aspergillus oryzae

    PubMed Central

    Vongsangnak, Wanwipa; Olsen, Peter; Hansen, Kim; Krogsgaard, Steen; Nielsen, Jens

    2008-01-01

    Background Since ancient times the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae has been used in the fermentation industry for the production of fermented sauces and the production of industrial enzymes. Recently, the genome sequence of A. oryzae with 12,074 annotated genes was released but the number of hypothetical proteins accounted for more than 50% of the annotated genes. Considering the industrial importance of this fungus, it is therefore valuable to improve the annotation and further integrate genomic information with biochemical and physiological information available for this microorganism and other related fungi. Here we proposed the gene prediction by construction of an A. oryzae Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) library, sequencing and assembly. We enhanced the function assignment by our developed annotation strategy. The resulting better annotation was used to reconstruct the metabolic network leading to a genome scale metabolic model of A. oryzae. Results Our assembled EST sequences we identified 1,046 newly predicted genes in the A. oryzae genome. Furthermore, it was possible to assign putative protein functions to 398 of the newly predicted genes. Noteworthy, our annotation strategy resulted in assignment of new putative functions to 1,469 hypothetical proteins already present in the A. oryzae genome database. Using the substantially improved annotated genome we reconstructed the metabolic network of A. oryzae. This network contains 729 enzymes, 1,314 enzyme-encoding genes, 1,073 metabolites and 1,846 (1,053 unique) biochemical reactions. The metabolic reactions are compartmentalized into the cytosol, the mitochondria, the peroxisome and the extracellular space. Transport steps between the compartments and the extracellular space represent 281 reactions, of which 161 are unique. The metabolic model was validated and shown to correctly describe the phenotypic behavior of A. oryzae grown on different carbon sources. Conclusion A much enhanced annotation of the A

  17. MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences.

    PubMed Central

    Mewes, H W; Heumann, K; Kaps, A; Mayer, K; Pfeiffer, F; Stocker, S; Frishman, D

    1999-01-01

    The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Martinsried near Munich, Germany, develops and maintains genome oriented databases. It is commonplace that the amount of sequence data available increases rapidly, but not the capacity of qualified manual annotation at the sequence databases. Therefore, our strategy aims to cope with the data stream by the comprehensive application of analysis tools to sequences of complete genomes, the systematic classification of protein sequences and the active support of sequence analysis and functional genomics projects. This report describes the systematic and up-to-date analysis of genomes (PEDANT), a comprehensive database of the yeast genome (MYGD), a database reflecting the progress in sequencing the Arabidopsis thaliana genome (MATD), the database of assembled, annotated human EST clusters (MEST), and the collection of protein sequence data within the framework of the PIR-International Protein Sequence Database (described elsewhere in this volume). MIPS provides access through its WWW server (http://www.mips.biochem.mpg.de) to a spectrum of generic databases, including the above mentioned as well as a database of protein families (PROTFAM), the MITOP database, and the all-against-all FASTA database. PMID:9847138

  18. NEIBank: Genomics and bioinformatics resources for vision research

    PubMed Central

    Peterson, Katherine; Gao, James; Buchoff, Patee; Jaworski, Cynthia; Bowes-Rickman, Catherine; Ebright, Jessica N.; Hauser, Michael A.; Hoover, David

    2008-01-01

    NEIBank is an integrated resource for genomics and bioinformatics in vision research. It includes expressed sequence tag (EST) data and sequence-verified cDNA clones for multiple eye tissues of several species, web-based access to human eye-specific SAGE data through EyeSAGE, and comprehensive, annotated databases of known human eye disease genes and candidate disease gene loci. All expression- and disease-related data are integrated in EyeBrowse, an eye-centric genome browser. NEIBank provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge of the transcriptional repertoires of eye tissues and their relation to pathology. PMID:18648525

  19. Genome scale transcriptomics of baculovirus-insect interactions.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Quan; Nielsen, Lars K; Reid, Steven

    2013-11-12

    Baculovirus-insect cell technologies are applied in the production of complex proteins, veterinary and human vaccines, gene delivery vectors' and biopesticides. Better understanding of how baculoviruses and insect cells interact would facilitate baculovirus-based production. While complete genomic sequences are available for over 58 baculovirus species, little insect genomic information is known. The release of the Bombyx mori and Plutella xylostella genomes, the accumulation of EST sequences for several Lepidopteran species, and especially the availability of two genome-scale analysis tools, namely oligonucleotide microarrays and next generation sequencing (NGS), have facilitated expression studies to generate a rich picture of insect gene responses to baculovirus infections. This review presents current knowledge on the interaction dynamics of the baculovirus-insect system' which is relatively well studied in relation to nucleocapsid transportation, apoptosis, and heat shock responses, but is still poorly understood regarding responses involved in pro-survival pathways, DNA damage pathways, protein degradation, translation, signaling pathways, RNAi pathways, and importantly metabolic pathways for energy, nucleotide and amino acid production. We discuss how the two genome-scale transcriptomic tools can be applied for studying such pathways and suggest that proteomics and metabolomics can produce complementary findings to transcriptomic studies.

  20. First Microsatellite Markers Developed from Cupuassu ESTs: Application in Diversity Analysis and Cross-Species Transferability to Cacao.

    PubMed

    Ferraz Dos Santos, Lucas; Moreira Fregapani, Roberta; Falcão, Loeni Ludke; Togawa, Roberto Coiti; Costa, Marcos Mota do Carmo; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Alves, Rafael Moyses; Micheli, Fabienne; Marcellino, Lucilia Helena

    2016-01-01

    The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit´s pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta- and trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches' broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively.

  1. First Microsatellite Markers Developed from Cupuassu ESTs: Application in Diversity Analysis and Cross-Species Transferability to Cacao

    PubMed Central

    Ferraz dos Santos, Lucas; Moreira Fregapani, Roberta; Falcão, Loeni Ludke; Togawa, Roberto Coiti; Costa, Marcos Mota do Carmo; Lopes, Uilson Vanderlei; Peres Gramacho, Karina; Alves, Rafael Moyses

    2016-01-01

    The cupuassu tree (Theobroma grandiflorum) (Willd. ex Spreng.) Schum. is a fruitful species from the Amazon with great economical potential, due to the multiple uses of its fruit´s pulp and seeds in the food and cosmetic industries, including the production of cupulate, an alternative to chocolate. In order to support the cupuassu breeding program and to select plants presenting both pulp/seed quality and fungal disease resistance, SSRs from Next Generation Sequencing ESTs were obtained and used in diversity analysis. From 8,330 ESTs, 1,517 contained one or more SSRs (1,899 SSRs identified). The most abundant motifs identified in the EST-SSRs were hepta- and trinucleotides, and they were found with a minimum and maximum of 2 and 19 repeats, respectively. From the 1,517 ESTs containing SSRs, 70 ESTs were selected based on their functional annotation, focusing on pulp and seed quality, as well as resistance to pathogens. The 70 ESTs selected contained 77 SSRs, and among which, 11 were polymorphic in cupuassu genotypes. These EST-SSRs were able to discriminate the cupuassu genotype in relation to resistance/susceptibility to witches’ broom disease, as well as to pulp quality (SST/ATT values). Finally, we showed that these markers were transferable to cacao genotypes, and that genome availability might be used as a predictive tool for polymorphism detection and primer design useful for both Theobroma species. To our knowledge, this is the first report involving EST-SSRs from cupuassu and is also a pioneer in the analysis of marker transferability from cupuassu to cacao. Moreover, these markers might contribute to develop or saturate the cupuassu and cacao genetic maps, respectively. PMID:26949967

  2. MIPS: a database for genomes and protein sequences

    PubMed Central

    Mewes, H. W.; Frishman, D.; Güldener, U.; Mannhaupt, G.; Mayer, K.; Mokrejs, M.; Morgenstern, B.; Münsterkötter, M.; Rudd, S.; Weil, B.

    2002-01-01

    The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF, Neuherberg, Germany) continues to provide genome-related information in a systematic way. MIPS supports both national and European sequencing and functional analysis projects, develops and maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences, and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes), the database of annotated human EST clusters (HIB), the database of complete cDNAs from the DHGP (German Human Genome Project), as well as the project specific databases for the GABI (Genome Analysis in Plants) and HNB (Helmholtz–Netzwerk Bioinformatik) networks. The Arabidospsis thaliana database (MATDB), the database of mitochondrial proteins (MITOP) and our contribution to the PIR International Protein Sequence Database have been described elsewhere [Schoof et al. (2002) Nucleic Acids Res., 30, 91–93; Scharfe et al. (2000) Nucleic Acids Res., 28, 155–158; Barker et al. (2001) Nucleic Acids Res., 29, 29–32]. All databases described, the protein analysis tools provided and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS World Wide Web server (http://mips.gsf.de). PMID:11752246

  3. The genome of flax (Linum usitatissimum) assembled de novo from short shotgun sequence reads.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhiwen; Hobson, Neil; Galindo, Leonardo; Zhu, Shilin; Shi, Daihu; McDill, Joshua; Yang, Linfeng; Hawkins, Simon; Neutelings, Godfrey; Datla, Raju; Lambert, Georgina; Galbraith, David W; Grassa, Christopher J; Geraldes, Armando; Cronk, Quentin C; Cullis, Christopher; Dash, Prasanta K; Kumar, Polumetla A; Cloutier, Sylvie; Sharpe, Andrew G; Wong, Gane K-S; Wang, Jun; Deyholos, Michael K

    2012-11-01

    Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is an ancient crop that is widely cultivated as a source of fiber, oil and medicinally relevant compounds. To accelerate crop improvement, we performed whole-genome shotgun sequencing of the nuclear genome of flax. Seven paired-end libraries ranging in size from 300 bp to 10 kb were sequenced using an Illumina genome analyzer. A de novo assembly, comprised exclusively of deep-coverage (approximately 94× raw, approximately 69× filtered) short-sequence reads (44-100 bp), produced a set of scaffolds with N(50) =694 kb, including contigs with N(50)=20.1 kb. The contig assembly contained 302 Mb of non-redundant sequence representing an estimated 81% genome coverage. Up to 96% of published flax ESTs aligned to the whole-genome shotgun scaffolds. However, comparisons with independently sequenced BACs and fosmids showed some mis-assembly of regions at the genome scale. A total of 43384 protein-coding genes were predicted in the whole-genome shotgun assembly, and up to 93% of published flax ESTs, and 86% of A. thaliana genes aligned to these predicted genes, indicating excellent coverage and accuracy at the gene level. Analysis of the synonymous substitution rates (K(s) ) observed within duplicate gene pairs was consistent with a recent (5-9 MYA) whole-genome duplication in flax. Within the predicted proteome, we observed enrichment of many conserved domains (Pfam-A) that may contribute to the unique properties of this crop, including agglutinin proteins. Together these results show that de novo assembly, based solely on whole-genome shotgun short-sequence reads, is an efficient means of obtaining nearly complete genome sequence information for some plant species. © 2012 The Authors. The Plant Journal © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  4. EST resources and establishment and validation of a 16k cDNA microarray from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

    PubMed

    Edvardsen, Rolf B; Malde, Ketil; Mittelholzer, Christian; Taranger, Geir Lasse; Nilsen, Frank

    2011-03-01

    The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is an important species both for traditional fishery and increasingly also in fish farming. The Atlantic cod is also under potential threat from various environmental changes such as pollution and climate change, but the biological impact of such changes are not well known, in particular when it comes to sublethal effects that can be difficult to assert. Modern molecular and genomic approaches have revolutionized biological research during the last decade, and offer new avenues to study biological functions and e.g. the impact of anthropogenic activities at different life-stages for a given organism. In order to develop genomic data and genomic tools for Atlantic cod we conducted a program were we constructed 20 cDNA libraries, and produced and analyzed 44006 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from these. Several tissues are represented in the multiple cDNA libraries, that differ in either sexual maturation or immulogical stimulation. This approach allowed us to identify genes that are expressed in particular tissues, life-stages or in response to specific stimuli, and also gives us information about potential functions of the transcripts. The ESTs were used to construct a 16k cDNA microarray to further investigate the cod transcriptome. Microarray analyses were preformed on pylorus, pituitary gland, spleen and testis of sexually maturing male cod. The four different tissues displayed tissue specific transcriptomes demonstrating that the cDNA array is working as expected and will prove to be a powerful tool in further experiments. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. EST analysis in Ginkgo biloba: an assessment of conserved developmental regulators and gymnosperm specific genes

    PubMed Central

    Brenner, Eric D; Katari, Manpreet S; Stevenson, Dennis W; Rudd, Stephen A; Douglas, Andrew W; Moss, Walter N; Twigg, Richard W; Runko, Suzan J; Stellari, Giulia M; McCombie, WR; Coruzzi, Gloria M

    2005-01-01

    Background Ginkgo biloba L. is the only surviving member of one of the oldest living seed plant groups with medicinal, spiritual and horticultural importance worldwide. As an evolutionary relic, it displays many characters found in the early, extinct seed plants and extant cycads. To establish a molecular base to understand the evolution of seeds and pollen, we created a cDNA library and EST dataset from the reproductive structures of male (microsporangiate), female (megasporangiate), and vegetative organs (leaves) of Ginkgo biloba. Results RNA from newly emerged male and female reproductive organs and immature leaves was used to create three distinct cDNA libraries from which 6,434 ESTs were generated. These 6,434 ESTs from Ginkgo biloba were clustered into 3,830 unigenes. A comparison of our Ginkgo unigene set against the fully annotated genomes of rice and Arabidopsis, and all available ESTs in Genbank revealed that 256 Ginkgo unigenes match only genes among the gymnosperms and non-seed plants – many with multiple matches to genes in non-angiosperm plants. Conversely, another group of unigenes in Gingko had highly significant homology to transcription factors in angiosperms involved in development, including MADS box genes as well as post-transcriptional regulators. Several of the conserved developmental genes found in Ginkgo had top BLAST homology to cycad genes. We also note here the presence of ESTs in G. biloba similar to genes that to date have only been found in gymnosperms and an additional 22 Ginkgo genes common only to genes from cycads. Conclusion Our analysis of an EST dataset from G. biloba revealed genes potentially unique to gymnosperms. Many of these genes showed homology to fully sequenced clones from our cycad EST dataset found in common only with gymnosperms. Other Ginkgo ESTs are similar to developmental regulators in higher plants. This work sets the stage for future studies on Ginkgo to better understand seed and pollen evolution, and to

  6. Genomic Enzymology: Web Tools for Leveraging Protein Family Sequence-Function Space and Genome Context to Discover Novel Functions.

    PubMed

    Gerlt, John A

    2017-08-22

    The exponentially increasing number of protein and nucleic acid sequences provides opportunities to discover novel enzymes, metabolic pathways, and metabolites/natural products, thereby adding to our knowledge of biochemistry and biology. The challenge has evolved from generating sequence information to mining the databases to integrating and leveraging the available information, i.e., the availability of "genomic enzymology" web tools. Web tools that allow identification of biosynthetic gene clusters are widely used by the natural products/synthetic biology community, thereby facilitating the discovery of novel natural products and the enzymes responsible for their biosynthesis. However, many novel enzymes with interesting mechanisms participate in uncharacterized small-molecule metabolic pathways; their discovery and functional characterization also can be accomplished by leveraging information in protein and nucleic acid databases. This Perspective focuses on two genomic enzymology web tools that assist the discovery novel metabolic pathways: (1) Enzyme Function Initiative-Enzyme Similarity Tool (EFI-EST) for generating sequence similarity networks to visualize and analyze sequence-function space in protein families and (2) Enzyme Function Initiative-Genome Neighborhood Tool (EFI-GNT) for generating genome neighborhood networks to visualize and analyze the genome context in microbial and fungal genomes. Both tools have been adapted to other applications to facilitate target selection for enzyme discovery and functional characterization. As the natural products community has demonstrated, the enzymology community needs to embrace the essential role of web tools that allow the protein and genome sequence databases to be leveraged for novel insights into enzymological problems.

  7. Molecular characterization, genomic distribution and evolutionary dynamics of Short INterspersed Elements in the termite genome.

    PubMed

    Luchetti, Andrea; Mantovani, Barbara

    2011-02-01

    Short INterspersed Elements (SINEs) in invertebrates, and especially in animal inbred genomes such that of termites, are poorly known; in this paper we characterize three new SINE families (Talub, Taluc and Talud) through the analyses of 341 sequences, either isolated from the Reticulitermes lucifugus genome or drawn from EST Genbank collection. We further add new data to the only isopteran element known so far, Talua. These SINEs are tRNA-derived elements, with an average length ranging from 258 to 372 bp. The tails are made up by poly(A) or microsatellite motifs. Their copy number varies from 7.9 × 10(3) to 10(5) copies, well within the range observed for other metazoan genomes. Species distribution, age and target site duplication analysis indicate Talud as the oldest, possibly inactive SINE originated before the onset of Isoptera (~150 Myr ago). Taluc underwent to substantial sequence changes throughout the evolution of termites and data suggest it was silenced and then re-activated in the R. lucifugus lineage. Moreover, Taluc shares a conserved sequence block with other unrelated SINEs, as observed for some vertebrate and cephalopod elements. The study of genomic environment showed that insertions are mainly surrounded by microsatellites and other SINEs, indicating a biased accumulation within non-coding regions. The evolutionary dynamics of Talu~ elements is explained through selective mechanisms acting in an inbred genome; in this respect, the study of termites' SINEs activity may provide an interesting framework to address the (co)evolution of mobile elements and the host genome.

  8. Needles in the EST Haystack: Large-Scale Identification and Analysis of Excretory-Secretory (ES) Proteins in Parasitic Nematodes Using Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs)

    PubMed Central

    Nagaraj, Shivashankar H.; Gasser, Robin B.; Ranganathan, Shoba

    2008-01-01

    Background Parasitic nematodes of humans, other animals and plants continue to impose a significant public health and economic burden worldwide, due to the diseases they cause. Promising antiparasitic drug and vaccine candidates have been discovered from excreted or secreted (ES) proteins released from the parasite and exposed to the immune system of the host. Mining the entire expressed sequence tag (EST) data available from parasitic nematodes represents an approach to discover such ES targets. Methods and Findings In this study, we predicted, using EST2Secretome, a novel, high-throughput, computational workflow system, 4,710 ES proteins from 452,134 ESTs derived from 39 different species of nematodes, parasitic in animals (including humans) or plants. In total, 2,632, 786, and 1,292 ES proteins were predicted for animal-, human-, and plant-parasitic nematodes. Subsequently, we systematically analysed ES proteins using computational methods. Of these 4,710 proteins, 2,490 (52.8%) had orthologues in Caenorhabditis elegans, whereas 621 (13.8%) appeared to be novel, currently having no significant match to any molecule available in public databases. Of the C. elegans homologues, 267 had strong “loss-of-function” phenotypes by RNA interference (RNAi) in this nematode. We could functionally classify 1,948 (41.3%) sequences using the Gene Ontology (GO) terms, establish pathway associations for 573 (12.2%) sequences using Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and identify protein interaction partners for 1,774 (37.6%) molecules. We also mapped 758 (16.1%) proteins to protein domains including the nematode-specific protein family “transthyretin-like” and “chromadorea ALT,” considered as vaccine candidates against filariasis in humans. Conclusions We report the large-scale analysis of ES proteins inferred from EST data for a range of parasitic nematodes. This set of ES proteins provides an inventory of known and novel members of ES proteins as a

  9. Extensive Local Gene Duplication and Functional Divergence among Paralogs in Atlantic Salmon

    PubMed Central

    Warren, Ian A.; Ciborowski, Kate L.; Casadei, Elisa; Hazlerigg, David G.; Martin, Sam; Jordan, William C.; Sumner, Seirian

    2014-01-01

    Many organisms can generate alternative phenotypes from the same genome, enabling individuals to exploit diverse and variable environments. A prevailing hypothesis is that such adaptation has been favored by gene duplication events, which generate redundant genomic material that may evolve divergent functions. Vertebrate examples of recent whole-genome duplications are sparse although one example is the salmonids, which have undergone a whole-genome duplication event within the last 100 Myr. The life-cycle of the Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, depends on the ability to produce alternating phenotypes from the same genome, to facilitate migration and maintain its anadromous life history. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that genome-wide and local gene duplication events have contributed to the salmonid adaptation. We used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the transcriptomes of three key organs involved in regulating migration in S. salar: Brain, pituitary, and olfactory epithelium. We identified over 10,000 undescribed S. salar sequences and designed an analytic workflow to distinguish between paralogs originating from local gene duplication events or from whole-genome duplication events. These data reveal that substantial local gene duplications took place shortly after the whole-genome duplication event. Many of the identified paralog pairs have either diverged in function or become noncoding. Future functional genomics studies will reveal to what extent this rich source of divergence in genetic sequence is likely to have facilitated the evolution of extreme phenotypic plasticity required for an anadromous life-cycle. PMID:24951567

  10. Year-Round Monitoring of Contaminants in Neal and Rogers Creeks, Hood River Basin, Oregon, 2011-12, and Assessment of Risks to Salmonids.

    PubMed

    Hapke, Whitney B; Morace, Jennifer L; Nilsen, Elena B; Alvarez, David A; Masterson, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    Pesticide presence in streams is a potential threat to Endangered Species Act listed salmonids in the Hood River basin, Oregon, a primarily forested and agricultural basin. Two types of passive samplers, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), were simultaneously deployed at four sites in the basin during Mar. 2011-Mar. 2012 to measure the presence of pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The year-round use of passive samplers is a novel approach and offers several new insights. Currently used pesticides and legacy contaminants, including many chlorinated pesticides and PBDEs, were present throughout the year in the basin's streams. PCBs were not detected. Time-weighted average water concentrations for the 2-month deployment periods were estimated from concentrations of chemicals measured in the passive samplers. Currently used pesticide concentrations peaked during spring and were detected beyond their seasons of expected use. Summed concentrations of legacy contaminants in Neal Creek were highest during July-Sept., the period with the lowest streamflows. Endosulfan was the only pesticide detected in passive samplers at concentrations exceeding Oregon or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water-quality thresholds. A Sensitive Pesticide Toxicity Index (SPTI) was used to estimate the relative acute potential toxicity among sample mixtures. The acute potential toxicity of the detected mixtures was likely greater for invertebrates than for fish and for all samples in Neal Creek compared to Rogers Creek, but the indices appear to be low overall (<0.1). Endosulfans and pyrethroid insecticides were the largest contributors to the SPTIs for both sites. SPTIs of some discrete (grab) samples from the basin that were used for comparison exceeded 0.1 when some insecticides (azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos, malathion) were detected at concentrations near or exceeding

  11. Year-round monitoring of contaminants in Neal and Rogers Creeks, Hood River Basin, Oregon, 2011-12, and assessment of risks to salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Temple, Whitney B.; Morace, Jennifer L.; Nilsen, Elena B.; Alvarez, David; Masterson, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    Pesticide presence in streams is a potential threat to Endangered Species Act listed salmonids in the Hood River basin, Oregon, a primarily forested and agricultural basin. Two types of passive samplers, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), were simultaneously deployed at four sites in the basin during Mar. 2011–Mar. 2012 to measure the presence of pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The year-round use of passive samplers is a novel approach and offers several new insights. Currently used pesticides and legacy contaminants, including many chlorinated pesticides and PBDEs, were present throughout the year in the basin’s streams. PCBs were not detected. Time-weighted average water concentrations for the 2-month deployment periods were estimated from concentrations of chemicals measured in the passive samplers. Currently used pesticide concentrations peaked during spring and were detected beyond their seasons of expected use. Summed concentrations of legacy contaminants in Neal Creek were highest during July–Sept., the period with the lowest streamflows. Endosulfan was the only pesticide detected in passive samplers at concentrations exceeding Oregon or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water-quality thresholds. A Sensitive Pesticide Toxicity Index (SPTI) was used to estimate the relative acute potential toxicity among sample mixtures. The acute potential toxicity of the detected mixtures was likely greater for invertebrates than for fish and for all samples in Neal Creek compared to Rogers Creek, but the indices appear to be low overall (<0.1). Endosulfans and pyrethroid insecticides were the largest contributors to the SPTIs for both sites. SPTIs of some discrete (grab) samples from the basin that were used for comparison exceeded 0.1 when some insecticides (azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos, malathion) were detected at concentrations near or

  12. Year-Round Monitoring of Contaminants in Neal and Rogers Creeks, Hood River Basin, Oregon, 2011-12, and Assessment of Risks to Salmonids

    PubMed Central

    Hapke, Whitney B.; Morace, Jennifer L.; Nilsen, Elena B.; Alvarez, David A.; Masterson, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    Pesticide presence in streams is a potential threat to Endangered Species Act listed salmonids in the Hood River basin, Oregon, a primarily forested and agricultural basin. Two types of passive samplers, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), were simultaneously deployed at four sites in the basin during Mar. 2011–Mar. 2012 to measure the presence of pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The year-round use of passive samplers is a novel approach and offers several new insights. Currently used pesticides and legacy contaminants, including many chlorinated pesticides and PBDEs, were present throughout the year in the basin’s streams. PCBs were not detected. Time-weighted average water concentrations for the 2-month deployment periods were estimated from concentrations of chemicals measured in the passive samplers. Currently used pesticide concentrations peaked during spring and were detected beyond their seasons of expected use. Summed concentrations of legacy contaminants in Neal Creek were highest during July–Sept., the period with the lowest streamflows. Endosulfan was the only pesticide detected in passive samplers at concentrations exceeding Oregon or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water-quality thresholds. A Sensitive Pesticide Toxicity Index (SPTI) was used to estimate the relative acute potential toxicity among sample mixtures. The acute potential toxicity of the detected mixtures was likely greater for invertebrates than for fish and for all samples in Neal Creek compared to Rogers Creek, but the indices appear to be low overall (<0.1). Endosulfans and pyrethroid insecticides were the largest contributors to the SPTIs for both sites. SPTIs of some discrete (grab) samples from the basin that were used for comparison exceeded 0.1 when some insecticides (azinphos methyl, chlorpyrifos, malathion) were detected at concentrations near or

  13. Long-term changes in river-floodplain dynamics: implications for salmonid habitat in the Interior Columbia Basin, USA.

    PubMed

    Tomlinson, Matthew J; Gergel, Sarah E; Beechie, Timothy J; McClure, Michelle M

    2011-07-01

    Rivers and their associated floodplains are among the world's most highly altered ecosystems, resulting in billions of dollars in restoration expenditures. Successful restoration of these systems requires information at multiple spatial scales (from localized reaches to broader-scale watersheds), as well as information spanning long time frames. Here, we develop a suite of historical landscape indicators of riverine status, primarily from the perspective of salmonid management, using a case study in the Interior Columbia Basin, Washington, USA. We use a combination of historical and modern aerial photography to quantify changes in land cover and reach type, as well as potential fish habitat within channel and off-channel floodplain areas. As of 1949, 55% of the Wenatchee River floodplain had been converted to agriculture. By 2006, 62% had been modified by anthropogenic development, of which 20% was due to urban expansion. The historical percentage of agricultural land in the watershed and the contemporary percentage of urban area surpass thresholds in land cover associated with deleterious impacts on river systems. In addition, the abundance of reach types associated with the highest quality salmonid habitat (island braided and meandering reaches) has declined due to conversion to straight reach types. The area occupied by fish habitats associated with channel migration (slow/stagnant channels and dry channels) has declined approximately 25-30%. Along highly modified rivers, these habitats have also become increasingly fragmented. Caveats related to visual quality and seasonal timing of historical photographs were important considerations in the interpretation of changes witnessed for headwater island braided systems, as well as for floodplain ponds. Development of rigorous, long-term, multi-scale monitoring techniques is necessary to guide the management and restoration of river-floodplain systems for the diversity of ecosystem services they provide.

  14. Conserved tyrosine 182 residue in hyperthermophilic esterase EstE1 plays a critical role in stabilizing the active site.

    PubMed

    Truongvan, Ngoc; Chung, Hye-Shin; Jang, Sei-Heon; Lee, ChangWoo

    2016-03-01

    An aromatic amino acid, Tyr or Trp, located in the esterase active site wall, is highly conserved, with hyperthermophilic esterases showing preference for Tyr and lower temperature esterases showing preference for Trp. In this study, we investigated the role of Tyr(182) in the active site wall of hyperthermophilic esterase EstE1. Mutation of Tyr to Phe or Ala had a moderate effect on EstE1 thermal stability. However, a small-to-large mutation such as Tyr to His or Trp had a devastating effect on thermal stability. All mutant EstE1 enzymes showed reduced catalytic rates and enhanced substrate affinities as compared with wild-type EstE1. Hydrogen bond formation involving Tyr(182) was unimportant for maintaining EstE1 thermal stability, as the EstE1 structure is already adapted to high temperatures via increased intramolecular interactions. However, removal of hydrogen bond from Tyr(182) significantly decreased EstE1 catalytic activity, suggesting its role in stabilization of the active site. These results suggest that Tyr is preferred over a similarly sized Phe residue or bulky His or Trp residue in the active site walls of hyperthermophilic esterases for stabilizing the active site and regulating catalytic activity at high temperatures.

  15. A New Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Database for Rainbow Trout Generated Through Whole Genome Resequencing.

    PubMed

    Gao, Guangtu; Nome, Torfinn; Pearse, Devon E; Moen, Thomas; Naish, Kerry A; Thorgaard, Gary H; Lien, Sigbjørn; Palti, Yniv

    2018-01-01

    within each population. We also provide functional annotation based on the genome position of each SNP and evaluate the use of clonal lines for filtering of PSVs and MSVs. These SNPs form a new database, which provides an important resource for a new high density SNP array design and for other SNP genotyping platforms used for genetic and genomics studies of this iconic salmonid fish species.

  16. First genetic linkage map of Taraxacum koksaghyz Rodin based on AFLP, SSR, COS and EST-SSR markers.

    PubMed

    Arias, Marina; Hernandez, Monica; Remondegui, Naroa; Huvenaars, Koen; van Dijk, Peter; Ritter, Enrique

    2016-08-04

    Taraxacum koksaghyz Rodin (TKS) has been studied in many occasions as a possible alternative source for natural rubber production of good quality and for inulin production. Some tire companies are already testing TKS tire prototypes. There are also many investigations on the production of bio-fuels from inulin and inulin applications for health improvement and in the food industry. A limited amount of genomic resources exist for TKS and particularly no genetic linkage map is available in this species. We have constructed the first TKS genetic linkage map based on AFLP, COS, SSR and EST-SSR markers. The integrated linkage map with eight linkage groups (LG), representing the eight chromosomes of Russian dandelion, has 185 individual AFLP markers from parent 1, 188 individual AFLP markers from parent 2, 75 common AFLP markers and 6 COS, 1 SSR and 63 EST-SSR loci. Blasting the EST-SSR sequences against known sequences from lettuce allowed a partial alignment of our TKS map with a lettuce map. Blast searches against plant gene databases revealed some homologies with useful genes for downstream applications in the future.

  17. pico-PLAZA, a genome database of microbial photosynthetic eukaryotes.

    PubMed

    Vandepoele, Klaas; Van Bel, Michiel; Richard, Guilhem; Van Landeghem, Sofie; Verhelst, Bram; Moreau, Hervé; Van de Peer, Yves; Grimsley, Nigel; Piganeau, Gwenael

    2013-08-01

    With the advent of next generation genome sequencing, the number of sequenced algal genomes and transcriptomes is rapidly growing. Although a few genome portals exist to browse individual genome sequences, exploring complete genome information from multiple species for the analysis of user-defined sequences or gene lists remains a major challenge. pico-PLAZA is a web-based resource (http://bioinformatics.psb.ugent.be/pico-plaza/) for algal genomics that combines different data types with intuitive tools to explore genomic diversity, perform integrative evolutionary sequence analysis and study gene functions. Apart from homologous gene families, multiple sequence alignments, phylogenetic trees, Gene Ontology, InterPro and text-mining functional annotations, different interactive viewers are available to study genome organization using gene collinearity and synteny information. Different search functions, documentation pages, export functions and an extensive glossary are available to guide non-expert scientists. To illustrate the versatility of the platform, different case studies are presented demonstrating how pico-PLAZA can be used to functionally characterize large-scale EST/RNA-Seq data sets and to perform environmental genomics. Functional enrichments analysis of 16 Phaeodactylum tricornutum transcriptome libraries offers a molecular view on diatom adaptation to different environments of ecological relevance. Furthermore, we show how complementary genomic data sources can easily be combined to identify marker genes to study the diversity and distribution of algal species, for example in metagenomes, or to quantify intraspecific diversity from environmental strains. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  18. Detection and validation of QTL affecting bacterial cold water disease resistance in rainbow trout using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant economic loss in salmonid aquaculture. Using microsatellites genome scan we have previously detected significant and suggestive QTL with major effects on the phenotypic variation of survival following challenge with Flavobacterium psychrophilum...

  19. MIPS: analysis and annotation of proteins from whole genomes

    PubMed Central

    Mewes, H. W.; Amid, C.; Arnold, R.; Frishman, D.; Güldener, U.; Mannhaupt, G.; Münsterkötter, M.; Pagel, P.; Strack, N.; Stümpflen, V.; Warfsmann, J.; Ruepp, A.

    2004-01-01

    The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Neuherberg, Germany, provides protein sequence-related information based on whole-genome analysis. The main focus of the work is directed toward the systematic organization of sequence-related attributes as gathered by a variety of algorithms, primary information from experimental data together with information compiled from the scientific literature. MIPS maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the database of complete cDNAs (German Human Genome Project, NGFN), the database of mammalian protein–protein interactions (MPPI), the database of FASTA homologies (SIMAP), and the interface for the fast retrieval of protein-associated information (QUIPOS). The Arabidopsis thaliana database, the rice database, the plant EST databases (MATDB, MOsDB, SPUTNIK), as well as the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes) are described elsewhere in the 2003 and 2004 NAR database issues, respectively. All databases described, and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS web server (http://mips.gsf.de). PMID:14681354

  20. MIPS: analysis and annotation of proteins from whole genomes.

    PubMed

    Mewes, H W; Amid, C; Arnold, R; Frishman, D; Güldener, U; Mannhaupt, G; Münsterkötter, M; Pagel, P; Strack, N; Stümpflen, V; Warfsmann, J; Ruepp, A

    2004-01-01

    The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF), Neuherberg, Germany, provides protein sequence-related information based on whole-genome analysis. The main focus of the work is directed toward the systematic organization of sequence-related attributes as gathered by a variety of algorithms, primary information from experimental data together with information compiled from the scientific literature. MIPS maintains automatically generated and manually annotated genome-specific databases, develops systematic classification schemes for the functional annotation of protein sequences and provides tools for the comprehensive analysis of protein sequences. This report updates the information on the yeast genome (CYGD), the Neurospora crassa genome (MNCDB), the database of complete cDNAs (German Human Genome Project, NGFN), the database of mammalian protein-protein interactions (MPPI), the database of FASTA homologies (SIMAP), and the interface for the fast retrieval of protein-associated information (QUIPOS). The Arabidopsis thaliana database, the rice database, the plant EST databases (MATDB, MOsDB, SPUTNIK), as well as the databases for the comprehensive set of genomes (PEDANT genomes) are described elsewhere in the 2003 and 2004 NAR database issues, respectively. All databases described, and the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS web server (http://mips.gsf.de).

  1. Development and use of EST-SSR markers for assessing genetic diversity in the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål).

    PubMed

    Jing, S; Liu, B; Peng, L; Peng, X; Zhu, L; Fu, Q; He, G

    2012-02-01

    To assess genetic diversity in populations of the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens Stål) (Homoptera: Delphacidae), we have developed and applied microsatellite, or simple sequence repeat (SSR), markers from expressed sequence tags (ESTs). We found that the brown planthopper clusters of ESTs were rich in SSRs with unique frequencies and distributions of SSR motifs. Three hundred and fifty-one EST-SSR markers were developed and yielded clear bands from samples of four brown planthopper populations. High cross-species transferability of these markers was detected in the closely related planthopper N. muiri. The newly developed EST-SSR markers provided sufficient resolution to distinguish within and among biotypes. Analyses based on SSR data revealed host resistance-based genetic differentiation among different brown planthopper populations; the genetic diversity of populations feeding on susceptible rice varieties was lower than that of populations feeding on resistant rice varieties. This is the first large-scale development of brown planthopper SSR markers, which will be useful for future molecular genetics and genomics studies of this serious agricultural pest.

  2. Genome duplication and the evolution of conspecific pollen precedence.

    PubMed

    Baldwin, Sarah J; Husband, Brian C

    2011-07-07

    Conspecific pollen precedence can be a strong reproductive barrier between polyploid and diploid species, but the role of genome multiplication in the evolution of this barrier has not been investigated. Here, we examine the direct effect of genome duplication on the evolution of pollen siring success in tetraploid Chamerion angustifolium. To separate the effects of genome duplication from selection after duplication, we compared pollen siring success of synthesized tetraploids (neotetraploids) with that of naturally occurring tetraploids by applying 2x, 4x (neo or established) or 2x + 4x pollen to diploid and tetraploid flowers. Seed set increased in diploids and decreased in both types of tetraploids as the proportion of pollen from diploid plants increased. Based on offspring ploidy from mixed-ploidy pollinations, pollen of the maternal ploidy always sired the majority of offspring but was strongest in established tetraploids and weakest in neotetraploids. Pollen from established tetraploids had significantly higher siring rates than neotetraploids when deposited on diploid (4x(est) = 47.2%, 4x(neo) = 27.1%) and on tetraploid recipients (4x(est) = 91.9%, 4x(neo) = 56.0%). Siring success of established tetraploids exceeded that of neotetraploids despite having similar pollen production per anther and pollen diameter. Our results suggest that, while pollen precedence can arise in association with the duplication event, the strength of polyploid siring success evolves after the duplication event.

  3. Teleost Fish-Specific Preferential Retention of Pigmentation Gene-Containing Families After Whole Genome Duplications in Vertebrates

    PubMed Central

    Lorin, Thibault; Brunet, Frédéric G.; Laudet, Vincent; Volff, Jean-Nicolas

    2018-01-01

    Vertebrate pigmentation is a highly diverse trait mainly determined by neural crest cell derivatives. It has been suggested that two rounds (1R/2R) of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) at the basis of vertebrates allowed changes in gene regulation associated with neural crest evolution. Subsequently, the teleost fish lineage experienced other WGDs, including the teleost-specific Ts3R before teleost radiation and the more recent Ss4R at the basis of salmonids. As the teleost lineage harbors the highest number of pigment cell types and pigmentation diversity in vertebrates, WGDs might have contributed to the evolution and diversification of the pigmentation gene repertoire in teleosts. We have compared the impact of the basal vertebrate 1R/2R duplications with that of the teleost-specific Ts3R and salmonid-specific Ss4R WGDs on 181 gene families containing genes involved in pigmentation. We show that pigmentation genes (PGs) have been globally more frequently retained as duplicates than other genes after Ts3R and Ss4R but not after the early 1R/2R. This is also true for non-pigmentary paralogs of PGs, suggesting that the function in pigmentation is not the sole key driver of gene retention after WGDs. On the long-term, specific categories of PGs have been repeatedly preferentially retained after ancient 1R/2R and Ts3R WGDs, possibly linked to the molecular nature of their proteins (e.g., DNA binding transcriptional regulators) and their central position in protein-protein interaction networks. Taken together, our results support a major role of WGDs in the diversification of the pigmentation gene repertoire in the teleost lineage, with a possible link with the diversity of pigment cell lineages observed in these animals compared to other vertebrates. PMID:29599177

  4. Sequencing and Characterisation of an Extensive Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) MicroRNA Repertoire

    PubMed Central

    Bekaert, Michaël; Lowe, Natalie R.; Bishop, Stephen C.; Bron, James E.; Taggart, John B.; Houston, Ross D.

    2013-01-01

    Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), a member of the family Salmonidae, is a totemic species of ecological and cultural significance that is also economically important in terms of both sports fisheries and aquaculture. These factors have promoted the continuous development of genomic resources for this species, furthering both fundamental and applied research. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small endogenous non-coding RNA molecules that control spatial and temporal expression of targeted genes through post-transcriptional regulation. While miRNA have been characterised in detail for many other species, this is not yet the case for Atlantic salmon. To identify miRNAs from Atlantic salmon, we constructed whole fish miRNA libraries for 18 individual juveniles (fry, four months post hatch) and characterised them by Illumina high-throughput sequencing (total of 354,505,167 paired-ended reads). We report an extensive and partly novel repertoire of miRNA sequences, comprising 888 miRNA genes (547 unique mature miRNA sequences), quantify their expression levels in basal conditions, examine their homology to miRNAs from other species and identify their predicted target genes. We also identify the location and putative copy number of the miRNA genes in the draft Atlantic salmon reference genome sequence. The Atlantic salmon miRNAs experimentally identified in this study provide a robust large-scale resource for functional genome research in salmonids. There is an opportunity to explore the evolution of salmonid miRNAs following the relatively recent whole genome duplication event in salmonid species and to investigate the role of miRNAs in the regulation of gene expression in particular their contribution to variation in economically and ecologically important traits. PMID:23922936

  5. Genomic Enzymology: Web Tools for Leveraging Protein Family Sequence–Function Space and Genome Context to Discover Novel Functions

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    The exponentially increasing number of protein and nucleic acid sequences provides opportunities to discover novel enzymes, metabolic pathways, and metabolites/natural products, thereby adding to our knowledge of biochemistry and biology. The challenge has evolved from generating sequence information to mining the databases to integrating and leveraging the available information, i.e., the availability of “genomic enzymology” web tools. Web tools that allow identification of biosynthetic gene clusters are widely used by the natural products/synthetic biology community, thereby facilitating the discovery of novel natural products and the enzymes responsible for their biosynthesis. However, many novel enzymes with interesting mechanisms participate in uncharacterized small-molecule metabolic pathways; their discovery and functional characterization also can be accomplished by leveraging information in protein and nucleic acid databases. This Perspective focuses on two genomic enzymology web tools that assist the discovery novel metabolic pathways: (1) Enzyme Function Initiative-Enzyme Similarity Tool (EFI-EST) for generating sequence similarity networks to visualize and analyze sequence–function space in protein families and (2) Enzyme Function Initiative-Genome Neighborhood Tool (EFI-GNT) for generating genome neighborhood networks to visualize and analyze the genome context in microbial and fungal genomes. Both tools have been adapted to other applications to facilitate target selection for enzyme discovery and functional characterization. As the natural products community has demonstrated, the enzymology community needs to embrace the essential role of web tools that allow the protein and genome sequence databases to be leveraged for novel insights into enzymological problems. PMID:28826221

  6. Trends in spawning populations of Pacific anadromous salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Konkel, G.W.; McIntyre, J.D.

    1987-01-01

    Annual escapement records for 1968-1984 for five species of Pacific salmon-chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho (O. kisutch), sockeye (O. nerka), pink (O. gorbuscha), and chum (O. keta)—and steelhead (Salmo gairdneri) were obtained from published and unpublished sources and organized in a computer database. More than 25,500 escapement records were obtained for more than 1,100 locations throughout Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California. Escapement trends for naturally reproducing populations for which data were available for at least 7 years from 1968 to 1984 and at least 4 years from 1975 to 1984 were analyzed by linear regression. Significant trends were observed in about 30% of the 886 populations examined. Trends were summarized by species for three geographic regions in Alaska and four in the Pacific Northwest (including California). For chinook, sockeye, and pink salmon, trends were predominantly increasing in the Alaska regions and either lacking or predominantly decreasing in most of the Pacific Northwest regions; for coho and chum salmon, trends were predominantly decreasing in one or more Alaska regions as well as in most of the Pacific Northwest regions. For steelhead, too few populations were examined to enable us to characterize trends throughout their range. Among the 657 salmonid populations excluded from the trend analysis because the data sets were incomplete, 13 (of which 2 were in Alaska) declined to zero during the period of analysis. For coho, sockeye, pink, and chum salmon and steelhead, major data gaps were revealed by a comparison of the geographic distribution of escapement records with the spawning distribution of the species. For chinook salmon, escapement records were more geographically representative of the spawning distribution.

  7. Hydroacoustic Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Passage and Distribution at Lookout Point Dam, 2010

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Khan, Fenton; Johnson, Gary E.; Royer, Ida M.

    2011-07-01

    This report presents the results of an evaluation of juvenile salmonid passage and distribution at Lookout Point Dam (LOP) on the Middle Fork Willamette River. The study was conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (USACE). The goal of the study was to provide fish passage and distribution data to support decisions on long-term measures to enhance downstream passage at LOP and others dams in USACE’s Willamette Valley Project in response to the listing of Upper Willamette River Spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Upper Willamette River steelhead (O. mykiss) asmore » threatened under the Endangered Species Act. During the year-long study period - February 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011the objectives of the hydroacoustic evaluation of fish passage and distribution at LOP were to: 1. Estimate passage rates, run timing, horizontal distribution, and diel distribution at turbine penstock intakes for smolt-size fish. 2. Estimate passage rates, run timing and diel distribution at turbine penstock intakes for small-size fish. 3. Estimate passage rates and run timing at the regulating outlets for smolt-size fish. 4. Estimate vertical distribution of smolt-size fish in the forebay near the upstream face of the dam. The fixed-location hydroacoustic technique was used to accomplish the objectives of this study. Transducers (420 kHz) were deployed in each penstock intake, above each RO entrance, and on the dam face; a total of nine transducers (2 single-beam and 7 split-beam) were used. We summarize the findings from the hydroacoustic evaluation of juvenile salmonid passage and distribution at LOP during February 2010 through January 2011 as follows. • Fish passage rates for smolt-size fish (> ~90 mm) were highest during December-January and lowest in mid-summer through early fall. • During the entire study period, an estimated total of 142,463 fish ± 4,444 (95% confidence interval) smolt

  8. ISOL@: an Italian SOLAnaceae genomics resource.

    PubMed

    Chiusano, Maria Luisa; D'Agostino, Nunzio; Traini, Alessandra; Licciardello, Concetta; Raimondo, Enrico; Aversano, Mario; Frusciante, Luigi; Monti, Luigi

    2008-03-26

    Present-day '-omics' technologies produce overwhelming amounts of data which include genome sequences, information on gene expression (transcripts and proteins) and on cell metabolic status. These data represent multiple aspects of a biological system and need to be investigated as a whole to shed light on the mechanisms which underpin the system functionality. The gathering and convergence of data generated by high-throughput technologies, the effective integration of different data-sources and the analysis of the information content based on comparative approaches are key methods for meaningful biological interpretations. In the frame of the International Solanaceae Genome Project, we propose here ISOLA, an Italian SOLAnaceae genomics resource. ISOLA (available at http://biosrv.cab.unina.it/isola) represents a trial platform and it is conceived as a multi-level computational environment.ISOLA currently consists of two main levels: the genome and the expression level. The cornerstone of the genome level is represented by the Solanum lycopersicum genome draft sequences generated by the International Tomato Genome Sequencing Consortium. Instead, the basic element of the expression level is the transcriptome information from different Solanaceae species, mainly in the form of species-specific comprehensive collections of Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs). The cross-talk between the genome and the expression levels is based on data source sharing and on tools that enhance data quality, that extract information content from the levels' under parts and produce value-added biological knowledge. ISOLA is the result of a bioinformatics effort that addresses the challenges of the post-genomics era. It is designed to exploit '-omics' data based on effective integration to acquire biological knowledge and to approach a systems biology view. Beyond providing experimental biologists with a preliminary annotation of the tomato genome, this effort aims to produce a trial

  9. CoCoNUT: an efficient system for the comparison and analysis of genomes

    PubMed Central

    2008-01-01

    Background Comparative genomics is the analysis and comparison of genomes from different species. This area of research is driven by the large number of sequenced genomes and heavily relies on efficient algorithms and software to perform pairwise and multiple genome comparisons. Results Most of the software tools available are tailored for one specific task. In contrast, we have developed a novel system CoCoNUT (Computational Comparative geNomics Utility Toolkit) that allows solving several different tasks in a unified framework: (1) finding regions of high similarity among multiple genomic sequences and aligning them, (2) comparing two draft or multi-chromosomal genomes, (3) locating large segmental duplications in large genomic sequences, and (4) mapping cDNA/EST to genomic sequences. Conclusion CoCoNUT is competitive with other software tools w.r.t. the quality of the results. The use of state of the art algorithms and data structures allows CoCoNUT to solve comparative genomics tasks more efficiently than previous tools. With the improved user interface (including an interactive visualization component), CoCoNUT provides a unified, versatile, and easy-to-use software tool for large scale studies in comparative genomics. PMID:19014477

  10. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis for nonlethal detection of Aeromonas salmonicida in salmonid mucus and its potential for other bacterial fish pathogens.

    PubMed

    Quinn, Robert A; Stevenson, Roselynn M W

    2012-05-01

    Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rDNA was used to nonlethally detect Aeromonas salmonicida and other bacteria in salmonid skin mucus. Mucus samples from wild spawning coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) with endemic A. salmonicida and from cultured lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were tested by PCR-DGGE and were compared with mucus culture on Coomassie brilliant blue agar and internal organ culture. PCR-DGGE gave a highly reproducible 4-band pattern for 9 strains of typical A. salmonicida, which was different from other Aeromonas spp. Aeromonas salmonicida presence in mucus was evident as a band that comigrated with the bottom band of the A. salmonicida 4-band pattern and was verified by sequencing. PCR-DGGE found 36 of 52 coho salmon positive for A. salmonicida, compared with 31 positive by mucus culture and 16 by organ culture. Numerous other bacteria were detected in salmonid mucus, including Pseudomonas spp., Shewanella putrefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila and other aeromonads. However, Yersinia ruckeri was not detected in mucus from 27 lake trout, but 1 fish had a sorbitol-positive Y. ruckeri isolated from organ culture. Yersinia ruckeri seeded into a mucus sample suggested that PCR-DGGE detection of this bacterium from mucus was possible. PCR-DGGE allows nonlethal detection of A. salmonicida in mucus and differentiation of some Aeromonas spp. and has the potential to allow simultaneous detection of other pathogens present in fish mucus.

  11. The contribution of molecular epidemiology to the understanding and control of viral diseases of salmonid aquaculture

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Molecular epidemiology is a science which utilizes molecular biology to define the distribution of disease in a population (descriptive epidemiology) and relies heavily on integration of traditional (or analytical) epidemiological approaches to identify the etiological determinants of this distribution. The study of viral pathogens of aquaculture has provided many exciting opportunities to apply such tools. This review considers the extent to which molecular epidemiological studies have contributed to better understanding and control of disease in aquaculture, drawing on examples of viral diseases of salmonid fish of commercial significance including viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV), salmonid alphavirus (SAV) and infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV). Significant outcomes of molecular epidemiological studies include: Improved taxonomic classification of viruses A better understanding of the natural distribution of viruses An improved understanding of the origins of viral pathogens in aquaculture An improved understanding of the risks of translocation of pathogens outwith their natural host range An increased ability to trace the source of new disease outbreaks Development of a basis for ensuring development of appropriate diagnostic tools An ability to classify isolates and thus target future research aimed at better understanding biological function While molecular epidemiological studies have no doubt already made a significant contribution in these areas, the advent of new technologies such as pyrosequencing heralds a quantum leap in the ability to generate descriptive molecular sequence data. The ability of molecular epidemiology to fulfil its potential to translate complex disease pathways into relevant fish health policy is thus unlikely to be limited by the generation of descriptive molecular markers. More likely, full realisation of the potential to better explain viral transmission pathways will be dependent on the ability to assimilate and

  12. ocsESTdb: a database of oil crop seed EST sequences for comparative analysis and investigation of a global metabolic network and oil accumulation metabolism.

    PubMed

    Ke, Tao; Yu, Jingyin; Dong, Caihua; Mao, Han; Hua, Wei; Liu, Shengyi

    2015-01-21

    Oil crop seeds are important sources of fatty acids (FAs) for human and animal nutrition. Despite their importance, there is a lack of an essential bioinformatics resource on gene transcription of oil crops from a comparative perspective. In this study, we developed ocsESTdb, the first database of expressed sequence tag (EST) information on seeds of four large-scale oil crops with an emphasis on global metabolic networks and oil accumulation metabolism that target the involved unigenes. A total of 248,522 ESTs and 106,835 unigenes were collected from the cDNA libraries of rapeseed (Brassica napus), soybean (Glycine max), sesame (Sesamum indicum) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea). These unigenes were annotated by a sequence similarity search against databases including TAIR, NR protein database, Gene Ontology, COG, Swiss-Prot, TrEMBL and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Five genome-scale metabolic networks that contain different numbers of metabolites and gene-enzyme reaction-association entries were analysed and constructed using Cytoscape and yEd programs. Details of unigene entries, deduced amino acid sequences and putative annotation are available from our database to browse, search and download. Intuitive and graphical representations of EST/unigene sequences, functional annotations, metabolic pathways and metabolic networks are also available. ocsESTdb will be updated regularly and can be freely accessed at http://ocri-genomics.org/ocsESTdb/ . ocsESTdb may serve as a valuable and unique resource for comparative analysis of acyl lipid synthesis and metabolism in oilseed plants. It also may provide vital insights into improving oil content in seeds of oil crop species by transcriptional reconstruction of the metabolic network.

  13. Migration depth and residence time of juvenile salmonids in the forebays of hydropower dams prior to passage through turbines or juvenile bypass systems: implications for turbine-passage survival.

    PubMed

    Li, Xinya; Deng, Zhiqun D; Brown, Richard S; Fu, Tao; Martinez, Jayson J; McMichael, Geoffrey A; Skalski, John R; Townsend, Richard L; Trumbo, Bradly A; Ahmann, Martin L; Renholds, Jon F

    2015-01-01

    Little is known about the three-dimensional depth distributions in rivers of individually marked fish that are in close proximity to hydropower facilities. Knowledge of the depth distributions of fish approaching dams can be used to understand how vulnerable fish are to injuries such as barotrauma as they pass through dams. To predict the possibility of barotrauma injury caused by pressure changes during turbine passage, it is necessary to understand fish behaviour relative to acclimation depth in dam forebays as they approach turbines. A guiding study was conducted using high-resolution three-dimensional tracking results of salmonids implanted with Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System transmitters to investigate the depth distributions of subyearling and yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) passing two dams on the Snake River in Washington State. Multiple approaches were evaluated to describe the depth at which fish were acclimated, and statistical analyses were performed on large data sets extracted from ∼28 000 individually tagged fish during 2012 and 2013. Our study identified patterns of depth distributions of juvenile salmonids in forebays prior to passage through turbines or juvenile bypass systems. This research indicates that the median depth at which juvenile salmonids approached turbines ranged from 2.8 to 12.2 m, with the depths varying by species/life history, year, location (which dam) and diel period (between day and night). One of the most enlightening findings was the difference in dam passage associated with the diel period. The amount of time that turbine-passed fish spent in the immediate forebay prior to entering the powerhouse was much lower during the night than during the day. This research will allow scientists to understand turbine-passage survival better and enable them to assess more accurately the effects of dam passage on juvenile salmon survival.

  14. Migration depth and residence time of juvenile salmonids in the forebays of hydropower dams prior to passage through turbines or juvenile bypass systems: implications for turbine-passage survival

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xinya; Deng, Zhiqun D.; Brown, Richard S.; Fu, Tao; Martinez, Jayson J.; McMichael, Geoffrey A.; Skalski, John R.; Townsend, Richard L.; Trumbo, Bradly A.; Ahmann, Martin L.; Renholds, Jon F.

    2015-01-01

    Little is known about the three-dimensional depth distributions in rivers of individually marked fish that are in close proximity to hydropower facilities. Knowledge of the depth distributions of fish approaching dams can be used to understand how vulnerable fish are to injuries such as barotrauma as they pass through dams. To predict the possibility of barotrauma injury caused by pressure changes during turbine passage, it is necessary to understand fish behaviour relative to acclimation depth in dam forebays as they approach turbines. A guiding study was conducted using high-resolution three-dimensional tracking results of salmonids implanted with Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System transmitters to investigate the depth distributions of subyearling and yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) passing two dams on the Snake River in Washington State. Multiple approaches were evaluated to describe the depth at which fish were acclimated, and statistical analyses were performed on large data sets extracted from ∼28 000 individually tagged fish during 2012 and 2013. Our study identified patterns of depth distributions of juvenile salmonids in forebays prior to passage through turbines or juvenile bypass systems. This research indicates that the median depth at which juvenile salmonids approached turbines ranged from 2.8 to 12.2 m, with the depths varying by species/life history, year, location (which dam) and diel period (between day and night). One of the most enlightening findings was the difference in dam passage associated with the diel period. The amount of time that turbine-passed fish spent in the immediate forebay prior to entering the powerhouse was much lower during the night than during the day. This research will allow scientists to understand turbine-passage survival better and enable them to assess more accurately the effects of dam passage on juvenile salmon survival. PMID:27293685

  15. De novo assembly and characterization of bark transcriptome using Illumina sequencing and development of EST-SSR markers in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.)

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background In rubber tree, bark is one of important agricultural and biological organs. However, the molecular mechanism involved in the bark formation and development in rubber tree remains largely unknown, which is at least partially due to lack of bark transcriptomic and genomic information. Therefore, it is necessary to carried out high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of rubber tree bark to generate enormous transcript sequences for the functional characterization and molecular marker development. Results In this study, more than 30 million sequencing reads were generated using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology. In total, 22,756 unigenes with an average length of 485 bp were obtained with de novo assembly. The similarity search indicated that 16,520 and 12,558 unigenes showed significant similarities to known proteins from NCBI non-redundant and Swissprot protein databases, respectively. Among these annotated unigenes, 6,867 and 5,559 unigenes were separately assigned to Gene Ontology (GO) and Clusters of Orthologous Group (COG). When 22,756 unigenes searched against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway (KEGG) database, 12,097 unigenes were assigned to 5 main categories including 123 KEGG pathways. Among the main KEGG categories, metabolism was the biggest category (9,043, 74.75%), suggesting the active metabolic processes in rubber tree bark. In addition, a total of 39,257 EST-SSRs were identified from 22,756 unigenes, and the characterizations of EST-SSRs were further analyzed in rubber tree. 110 potential marker sites were randomly selected to validate the assembly quality and develop EST-SSR markers. Among 13 Hevea germplasms, PCR success rate and polymorphism rate of 110 markers were separately 96.36% and 55.45% in this study. Conclusion By assembling and analyzing de novo transcriptome sequencing data, we reported the comprehensive functional characterization of rubber tree bark. This research generated a substantial fraction

  16. Automated sample-preparation technologies in genome sequencing projects.

    PubMed

    Hilbert, H; Lauber, J; Lubenow, H; Düsterhöft, A

    2000-01-01

    A robotic workstation system (BioRobot 96OO, QIAGEN) and a 96-well UV spectrophotometer (Spectramax 250, Molecular Devices) were integrated in to the process of high-throughput automated sequencing of double-stranded plasmid DNA templates. An automated 96-well miniprep kit protocol (QIAprep Turbo, QIAGEN) provided high-quality plasmid DNA from shotgun clones. The DNA prepared by this procedure was used to generate more than two mega bases of final sequence data for two genomic projects (Arabidopsis thaliana and Schizosaccharomyces pombe), three thousand expressed sequence tags (ESTs) plus half a mega base of human full-length cDNA clones, and approximately 53,000 single reads for a whole genome shotgun project (Pseudomonas putida).

  17. Assessment of smolt condition: Biological and environmental interactions -- The impact of prey and predators on juvenile salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sauter, Sally T.; Schrock, Robin M.; Petersen, James H.; Maule, Alec G.

    2004-01-01

    The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has funded the Assessment of Smolt Condition project since 1987. During that time the project changed frequently to meet the information needs of fish managers by conducting studies throughout the Columbia River basin. Past research has examined the influence of smolt physiological development and health on migration rate; differences in development and migration rates of smolts of hatchery or wild origins; and the impacts of hatchery practices on smolt development. The Smolt Assessment Project will not continue beyond 2004, and here we report on the final study of the project in which we used bioenergetics modeling to investigate predation on juvenile salmonids by northern pikeminnow, smallmouth bass, and walleye in the lower Columbia River reservoirs.

  18. GarlicESTdb: an online database and mining tool for garlic EST sequences.

    PubMed

    Kim, Dae-Won; Jung, Tae-Sung; Nam, Seong-Hyeuk; Kwon, Hyuk-Ryul; Kim, Aeri; Chae, Sung-Hwa; Choi, Sang-Haeng; Kim, Dong-Wook; Kim, Ryong Nam; Park, Hong-Seog

    2009-05-18

    Allium sativum., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus (Allium), which is a large and diverse one containing over 1,250 species. Its close relatives include chives, onion, leek and shallot. Garlic has been used throughout recorded history for culinary, medicinal use and health benefits. Currently, the interest in garlic is highly increasing due to nutritional and pharmaceutical value including high blood pressure and cholesterol, atherosclerosis and cancer. For all that, there are no comprehensive databases available for Expressed Sequence Tags(EST) of garlic for gene discovery and future efforts of genome annotation. That is why we developed a new garlic database and applications to enable comprehensive analysis of garlic gene expression. GarlicESTdb is an integrated database and mining tool for large-scale garlic (Allium sativum) EST sequencing. A total of 21,595 ESTs collected from an in-house cDNA library were used to construct the database. The analysis pipeline is an automated system written in JAVA and consists of the following components: automatic preprocessing of EST reads, assembly of raw sequences, annotation of the assembled sequences, storage of the analyzed information into MySQL databases, and graphic display of all processed data. A web application was implemented with the latest J2EE (Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition) software technology (JSP/EJB/JavaServlet) for browsing and querying the database, for creation of dynamic web pages on the client side, and for mapping annotated enzymes to KEGG pathways, the AJAX framework was also used partially. The online resources, such as putative annotation, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and tandem repeat data sets, can be searched by text, explored on the website, searched using BLAST, and downloaded. To archive more significant BLAST results, a curation system was introduced with which biologists can easily edit best-hit annotation information for others to view. The Garlic

  19. N-mix for fish: estimating riverine salmonid habitat selection via N-mixture models

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Som, Nicholas A.; Perry, Russell W.; Jones, Edward C.; De Juilio, Kyle; Petros, Paul; Pinnix, William D.; Rupert, Derek L.

    2018-01-01

    Models that formulate mathematical linkages between fish use and habitat characteristics are applied for many purposes. For riverine fish, these linkages are often cast as resource selection functions with variables including depth and velocity of water and distance to nearest cover. Ecologists are now recognizing the role that detection plays in observing organisms, and failure to account for imperfect detection can lead to spurious inference. Herein, we present a flexible N-mixture model to associate habitat characteristics with the abundance of riverine salmonids that simultaneously estimates detection probability. Our formulation has the added benefits of accounting for demographics variation and can generate probabilistic statements regarding intensity of habitat use. In addition to the conceptual benefits, model application to data from the Trinity River, California, yields interesting results. Detection was estimated to vary among surveyors, but there was little spatial or temporal variation. Additionally, a weaker effect of water depth on resource selection is estimated than that reported by previous studies not accounting for detection probability. N-mixture models show great promise for applications to riverine resource selection.

  20. The Human EST Ontology Explorer: a tissue-oriented visualization system for ontologies distribution in human EST collections.

    PubMed

    Merelli, Ivan; Caprera, Andrea; Stella, Alessandra; Del Corvo, Marcello; Milanesi, Luciano; Lazzari, Barbara

    2009-10-15

    The NCBI dbEST currently contains more than eight million human Expressed Sequenced Tags (ESTs). This wide collection represents an important source of information for gene expression studies, provided it can be inspected according to biologically relevant criteria. EST data can be browsed using different dedicated web resources, which allow to investigate library specific gene expression levels and to make comparisons among libraries, highlighting significant differences in gene expression. Nonetheless, no tool is available to examine distributions of quantitative EST collections in Gene Ontology (GO) categories, nor to retrieve information concerning library-dependent EST involvement in metabolic pathways. In this work we present the Human EST Ontology Explorer (HEOE) http://www.itb.cnr.it/ptp/human_est_explorer, a web facility for comparison of expression levels among libraries from several healthy and diseased tissues. The HEOE provides library-dependent statistics on the distribution of sequences in the GO Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG) that can be browsed at each GO hierarchical level. The tool is based on large-scale BLAST annotation of EST sequences. Due to the huge number of input sequences, this BLAST analysis was performed with the aid of grid computing technology, which is particularly suitable to address data parallel task. Relying on the achieved annotation, library-specific distributions of ESTs in the GO Graph were inferred. A pathway-based search interface was also implemented, for a quick evaluation of the representation of libraries in metabolic pathways. EST processing steps were integrated in a semi-automatic procedure that relies on Perl scripts and stores results in a MySQL database. A PHP-based web interface offers the possibility to simultaneously visualize, retrieve and compare data from the different libraries. Statistically significant differences in GO categories among user selected libraries can also be computed. The HEOE provides an

  1. First genetic linkage map of Taraxacum koksaghyz Rodin based on AFLP, SSR, COS and EST-SSR markers

    PubMed Central

    Arias, Marina; Hernandez, Monica; Remondegui, Naroa; Huvenaars, Koen; van Dijk, Peter; Ritter, Enrique

    2016-01-01

    Taraxacum koksaghyz Rodin (TKS) has been studied in many occasions as a possible alternative source for natural rubber production of good quality and for inulin production. Some tire companies are already testing TKS tire prototypes. There are also many investigations on the production of bio-fuels from inulin and inulin applications for health improvement and in the food industry. A limited amount of genomic resources exist for TKS and particularly no genetic linkage map is available in this species. We have constructed the first TKS genetic linkage map based on AFLP, COS, SSR and EST-SSR markers. The integrated linkage map with eight linkage groups (LG), representing the eight chromosomes of Russian dandelion, has 185 individual AFLP markers from parent 1, 188 individual AFLP markers from parent 2, 75 common AFLP markers and 6 COS, 1 SSR and 63 EST-SSR loci. Blasting the EST-SSR sequences against known sequences from lettuce allowed a partial alignment of our TKS map with a lettuce map. Blast searches against plant gene databases revealed some homologies with useful genes for downstream applications in the future. PMID:27488242

  2. Characteristics of the Lotus japonicus gene repertoire deduced from large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis.

    PubMed

    Asamizu, Erika; Nakamura, Yasukazu; Sato, Shusei; Tabata, Satoshi

    2004-02-01

    To perform a comprehensive analysis of genes expressed in a model legume, Lotus japonicus, a total of 74472 3'-end expressed sequence tags (EST) were generated from cDNA libraries produced from six different organs. Clustering of sequences was performed with an identity criterion of 95% for 50 bases, and a total of 20457 non-redundant sequences, 8503 contigs and 11954 singletons were generated. EST sequence coverage was analyzed by using the annotated L. japonicus genomic sequence and 1093 of the 1889 predicted protein-encoding genes (57.9%) were hit by the EST sequence(s). Gene content was compared to several plant species. Among the 8503 contigs, 471 were identified as sequences conserved only in leguminous species and these included several disease resistance-related genes. This suggested that in legumes, these genes may have evolved specifically to resist pathogen attack. The rate of gene sequence divergence was assessed by comparing similarity level and functional category based on the Gene Ontology (GO) annotation of Arabidopsis genes. This revealed that genes encoding ribosomal proteins, as well as those related to translation, photosynthesis, and cellular structure were more abundantly represented in the highly conserved class, and that genes encoding transcription factors and receptor protein kinases were abundantly represented in the less conserved class. To make the sequence information and the cDNA clones available to the research community, a Web database with useful services was created at http://www.kazusa.or.jp/en/plant/lotus/EST/.

  3. Enzyme Function Initiative-Enzyme Similarity Tool (EFI-EST): A web tool for generating protein sequence similarity networks.

    PubMed

    Gerlt, John A; Bouvier, Jason T; Davidson, Daniel B; Imker, Heidi J; Sadkhin, Boris; Slater, David R; Whalen, Katie L

    2015-08-01

    The Enzyme Function Initiative, an NIH/NIGMS-supported Large-Scale Collaborative Project (EFI; U54GM093342; http://enzymefunction.org/), is focused on devising and disseminating bioinformatics and computational tools as well as experimental strategies for the prediction and assignment of functions (in vitro activities and in vivo physiological/metabolic roles) to uncharacterized enzymes discovered in genome projects. Protein sequence similarity networks (SSNs) are visually powerful tools for analyzing sequence relationships in protein families (H.J. Atkinson, J.H. Morris, T.E. Ferrin, and P.C. Babbitt, PLoS One 2009, 4, e4345). However, the members of the biological/biomedical community have not had access to the capability to generate SSNs for their "favorite" protein families. In this article we announce the EFI-EST (Enzyme Function Initiative-Enzyme Similarity Tool) web tool (http://efi.igb.illinois.edu/efi-est/) that is available without cost for the automated generation of SSNs by the community. The tool can create SSNs for the "closest neighbors" of a user-supplied protein sequence from the UniProt database (Option A) or of members of any user-supplied Pfam and/or InterPro family (Option B). We provide an introduction to SSNs, a description of EFI-EST, and a demonstration of the use of EFI-EST to explore sequence-function space in the OMP decarboxylase superfamily (PF00215). This article is designed as a tutorial that will allow members of the community to use the EFI-EST web tool for exploring sequence/function space in protein families. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Genome-wide characterization and selection of expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat primers for optimized marker distribution and reliability in peach

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Expressed sequence tag (EST) simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in Prunus were mined, and flanking primers designed and used for genome-wide characterization and selection of primers to optimize marker distribution and reliability. A total of 12,618 contigs were assembled from 84,727 ESTs, along with 34...

  5. Development of EST Intron-Targeting SNP Markers for Panax ginseng and Their Application to Cultivar Authentication.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hongtao; Li, Guisheng; Kwon, Woo-Saeng; Yang, Deok-Chun

    2016-06-04

    Panax ginseng is one of the most valuable medicinal plants in the Orient. The low level of genetic variation has limited the application of molecular markers for cultivar authentication and marker-assisted selection in cultivated ginseng. To exploit DNA polymorphism within ginseng cultivars, ginseng expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were searched against the potential intron polymorphism (PIP) database to predict the positions of introns. Intron-flanking primers were then designed in conserved exon regions and used to amplify across the more variable introns. Sequencing results showed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as well as indels, were detected in four EST-derived introns, and SNP markers specific to "Gopoong" and "K-1" were first reported in this study. Based on cultivar-specific SNP sites, allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted and proved to be effective for the authentication of ginseng cultivars. Additionally, the combination of a simple NaOH-Tris DNA isolation method and real-time allele-specific PCR assay enabled the high throughput selection of cultivars from ginseng fields. The established real-time allele-specific PCR assay should be applied to molecular authentication and marker assisted selection of P. ginseng cultivars, and the EST intron-targeting strategy will provide a potential approach for marker development in species without whole genomic DNA sequence information.

  6. Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] consensus linkage map constructed using four RIL mapping populations and newly developed EST-SSRs.

    PubMed

    Rajaram, Vengaldas; Nepolean, Thirunavukkarasu; Senthilvel, Senapathy; Varshney, Rajeev K; Vadez, Vincent; Srivastava, Rakesh K; Shah, Trushar M; Supriya, Ambawat; Kumar, Sushil; Ramana Kumari, Basava; Bhanuprakash, Amindala; Narasu, Mangamoori Lakshmi; Riera-Lizarazu, Oscar; Hash, Charles Thomas

    2013-03-09

    Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a widely cultivated drought- and high-temperature tolerant C4 cereal grown under dryland, rainfed and irrigated conditions in drought-prone regions of the tropics and sub-tropics of Africa, South Asia and the Americas. It is considered an orphan crop with relatively few genomic and genetic resources. This study was undertaken to increase the EST-based microsatellite marker and genetic resources for this crop to facilitate marker-assisted breeding. Newly developed EST-SSR markers (99), along with previously mapped EST-SSR (17), genomic SSR (53) and STS (2) markers, were used to construct linkage maps of four F7 recombinant inbred populations (RIP) based on crosses ICMB 841-P3 × 863B-P2 (RIP A), H 77/833-2 × PRLT 2/89-33 (RIP B), 81B-P6 × ICMP 451-P8 (RIP C) and PT 732B-P2 × P1449-2-P1 (RIP D). Mapped loci numbers were greatest for RIP A (104), followed by RIP B (78), RIP C (64) and RIP D (59). Total map lengths (Haldane) were 615 cM, 690 cM, 428 cM and 276 cM, respectively. A total of 176 loci detected by 171 primer pairs were mapped among the four crosses. A consensus map of 174 loci (899 cM) detected by 169 primer pairs was constructed using MergeMap to integrate the individual linkage maps. Locus order in the consensus map was well conserved for nearly all linkage groups. Eighty-nine EST-SSR marker loci from this consensus map had significant BLAST hits (top hits with e-value ≤ 1E-10) on the genome sequences of rice, foxtail millet, sorghum, maize and Brachypodium with 35, 88, 58, 48 and 38 loci, respectively. The consensus map developed in the present study contains the largest set of mapped SSRs reported to date for pearl millet, and represents a major consolidation of existing pearl millet genetic mapping information. This study increased numbers of mapped pearl millet SSR markers by >50%, filling important gaps in previously published SSR-based linkage maps for this species and will greatly

  7. Similar genetic architecture with shared and unique quantitative trait loci for bacterial cold water disease resistance in two rainbow trout breeding populations

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant mortality and economic losses in salmonid aquaculture. In previous studies, we identified moderate-large effect QTL for BCWD resistance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). However, the recent availability of a 57K SNP array and a genome phys...

  8. An epidemic model for the interactions between thermal regime of rivers and transmission of Proliferative Kidney Disease in salmonid fish

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carraro, Luca; Bertuzzo, Enrico; Mari, Lorenzo; Gatto, Marino; Strepparava, Nicole; Hartikainen, Hanna; Rinaldo, Andrea

    2015-04-01

    Proliferative kidney disease (PKD) affects salmonid populations in European and North-American rivers. It is caused by the endoparasitic myxozoan Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, which exploits freshwater bryozoans (Fredericella sultana) and salmonids as primary and secondary hosts, respectively. Incidence and mortality, which can reach up to 90-100%, are known to be strongly related to water temperature. PKD has been present in brown trout population for a long time but has recently increased rapidly in incidence and severity causing a decline in fish catches in many countries. In addition, environmental changes are feared to cause PKD outbreaks at higher latitude and altitude regions as warmer temperatures promote disease development. This calls for a better comprehension of the interactions between disease dynamics and the thermal regime of rivers, in order to possibly devise strategies for disease management. In this perspective, a spatially explicit model of PKD epidemiology in riverine host metacommunities is proposed. The model aims at summarizing the knowledge on the modes of transmission of the disease and the life-cycle of the parasite, making the connection between temperature and epidemiological parameters explicit. The model accounts for both local population and disease dynamics of bryozoans and fish and hydrodynamic dispersion of the parasite spores and hosts along the river network. The model is time-hybrid, coupling inter-seasonal and intra-seasonal dynamics, the former being described in a continuous time domain, the latter seen as time steps of a discrete time domain. In order to test the model, a case study is conducted in river Wigger (Cantons of Aargau and Lucerne, Switzerland), where data about water temperature, brown trout and bryozoan populations and PKD prevalence are being collected.

  9. Genomic characterization and phylogenetic position of two new species in Rhabdoviridae infecting the parasitic copepod, salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis).

    PubMed

    Økland, Arnfinn Lodden; Nylund, Are; Øvergård, Aina-Cathrine; Blindheim, Steffen; Watanabe, Kuninori; Grotmol, Sindre; Arnesen, Carl-Erik; Plarre, Heidrun

    2014-01-01

    Several new viruses have emerged during farming of salmonids in the North Atlantic causing large losses to the industry. Still the blood feeding copepod parasite, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, remains the major challenge for the industry. Histological examinations of this parasite have revealed the presence of several virus-like particles including some with morphologies similar to rhabdoviruses. This study is the first description of the genome and target tissues of two new species of rhabdoviruses associated with pathology in the salmon louse. Salmon lice were collected at different Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farming sites on the west coast of Norway and prepared for histology, transmission electron microscopy and Illumina sequencing of the complete RNA extracted from these lice. The nearly complete genomes, around 11,600 nucleotides encoding the five typical rhabdovirus genes N, P, M, G and L, of two new species were obtained. The genome sequences, the putative protein sequences, and predicted transcription strategies for the two viruses are presented. Phylogenetic analyses of the putative N and L proteins indicated closest similarity to the Sigmavirus/Dimarhabdoviruses cluster, however, the genomes of both new viruses are significantly diverged with no close affinity to any of the existing rhabdovirus genera. In situ hybridization, targeting the N protein genes, showed that the viruses were present in the same glandular tissues as the observed rhabdovirus-like particles. Both viruses were present in all developmental stages of the salmon louse, and associated with necrosis of glandular tissues in adult lice. As the two viruses were present in eggs and free-living planktonic stages of the salmon louse vertical, transmission of the viruses are suggested. The tissues of the lice host, Atlantic salmon, with the exception of skin at the attachment site for the salmon louse chalimi stages, were negative for these two viruses.

  10. Genomic Characterization and Phylogenetic Position of Two New Species in Rhabdoviridae Infecting the Parasitic Copepod, Salmon Louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis)

    PubMed Central

    Økland, Arnfinn Lodden; Nylund, Are; Øvergård, Aina-Cathrine; Blindheim, Steffen; Watanabe, Kuninori; Grotmol, Sindre; Arnesen, Carl-Erik; Plarre, Heidrun

    2014-01-01

    Several new viruses have emerged during farming of salmonids in the North Atlantic causing large losses to the industry. Still the blood feeding copepod parasite, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, remains the major challenge for the industry. Histological examinations of this parasite have revealed the presence of several virus-like particles including some with morphologies similar to rhabdoviruses. This study is the first description of the genome and target tissues of two new species of rhabdoviruses associated with pathology in the salmon louse. Salmon lice were collected at different Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farming sites on the west coast of Norway and prepared for histology, transmission electron microscopy and Illumina sequencing of the complete RNA extracted from these lice. The nearly complete genomes, around 11 600 nucleotides encoding the five typical rhabdovirus genes N, P, M, G and L, of two new species were obtained. The genome sequences, the putative protein sequences, and predicted transcription strategies for the two viruses are presented. Phylogenetic analyses of the putative N and L proteins indicated closest similarity to the Sigmavirus/Dimarhabdoviruses cluster, however, the genomes of both new viruses are significantly diverged with no close affinity to any of the existing rhabdovirus genera. In situ hybridization, targeting the N protein genes, showed that the viruses were present in the same glandular tissues as the observed rhabdovirus-like particles. Both viruses were present in all developmental stages of the salmon louse, and associated with necrosis of glandular tissues in adult lice. As the two viruses were present in eggs and free-living planktonic stages of the salmon louse vertical, transmission of the viruses are suggested. The tissues of the lice host, Atlantic salmon, with the exception of skin at the attachment site for the salmon louse chalimi stages, were negative for these two viruses. PMID:25402203

  11. De novo transcriptomic analysis and development of EST-SSRs for Sorbus pohuashanensis (Hance) Hedl.

    PubMed Central

    Guan, Xuelian; Fu, Qiang; Zhang, Ze; Hu, Zenghui; Zheng, Jian; Lu, Yizeng; Li, Wei

    2017-01-01

    Sorbus pohuashanensis is a native tree species of northern China that is used for a variety of ecological purposes. The species is often grown as an ornamental landscape tree because of its beautiful form, silver flowers in early summer, attractive pinnate leaves in summer, and red leaves and fruits in autumn. However, development and further utilization of the species are hindered by the lack of comprehensive genetic information, which impedes research into its genetics and molecular biology. Recent advances in de novo transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) technology have provided an effective means to obtain genomic information from non-model species. Here, we applied RNA-seq for sequencing S. pohuashanensis leaves and obtained a total of 137,506 clean reads. After assembly, 96,213 unigenes with an average length of 770 bp were obtained. We found that 64.5% of the unigenes could be annotated using bioinformatics tools to analyze gene function and alignment with the NCBI database. Overall, 59,089 unigenes were annotated using the Nr database(non-redundant protein database), 35,225 unigenes were annotated using the GO (Gene Ontology categories) database, and 33,168 unigenes were annotated using COG (Cluster of Orthologous Groups). Analysis of the unigenes using the KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) database indicated that 13,953 unigenes were involved in 322 metabolic pathways. Finally, simple sequence repeat (SSR) site detection identified 6,604 unigenes that included EST-SSRs and a total of 7,473 EST-SSRs in the unigene sequences. Fifteen polymorphic SSRs were screened and found to be of use for future genetic research. These unigene sequences will provide important genetic resources for genetic improvement and investigation of biochemical processes in S. pohuashanensis. PMID:28614366

  12. Augmenting Chinese hamster genome assembly by identifying regions of high confidence.

    PubMed

    Vishwanathan, Nandita; Bandyopadhyay, Arpan A; Fu, Hsu-Yuan; Sharma, Mohit; Johnson, Kathryn C; Mudge, Joann; Ramaraj, Thiruvarangan; Onsongo, Getiria; Silverstein, Kevin A T; Jacob, Nitya M; Le, Huong; Karypis, George; Hu, Wei-Shou

    2016-09-01

    Chinese hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines are the dominant industrial workhorses for therapeutic recombinant protein production. The availability of genome sequence of Chinese hamster and CHO cells will spur further genome and RNA sequencing of producing cell lines. However, the mammalian genomes assembled using shot-gun sequencing data still contain regions of uncertain quality due to assembly errors. Identifying high confidence regions in the assembled genome will facilitate its use for cell engineering and genome engineering. We assembled two independent drafts of Chinese hamster genome by de novo assembly from shotgun sequencing reads and by re-scaffolding and gap-filling the draft genome from NCBI for improved scaffold lengths and gap fractions. We then used the two independent assemblies to identify high confidence regions using two different approaches. First, the two independent assemblies were compared at the sequence level to identify their consensus regions as "high confidence regions" which accounts for at least 78 % of the assembled genome. Further, a genome wide comparison of the Chinese hamster scaffolds with mouse chromosomes revealed scaffolds with large blocks of collinearity, which were also compiled as high-quality scaffolds. Genome scale collinearity was complemented with EST based synteny which also revealed conserved gene order compared to mouse. As cell line sequencing becomes more commonly practiced, the approaches reported here are useful for assessing the quality of assembly and potentially facilitate the engineering of cell lines. Copyright © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. nGASP--the nematode genome annotation assessment project.

    PubMed

    Coghlan, Avril; Fiedler, Tristan J; McKay, Sheldon J; Flicek, Paul; Harris, Todd W; Blasiar, Darin; Stein, Lincoln D

    2008-12-19

    While the C. elegans genome is extensively annotated, relatively little information is available for other Caenorhabditis species. The nematode genome annotation assessment project (nGASP) was launched to objectively assess the accuracy of protein-coding gene prediction software in C. elegans, and to apply this knowledge to the annotation of the genomes of four additional Caenorhabditis species and other nematodes. Seventeen groups worldwide participated in nGASP, and submitted 47 prediction sets across 10 Mb of the C. elegans genome. Predictions were compared to reference gene sets consisting of confirmed or manually curated gene models from WormBase. The most accurate gene-finders were 'combiner' algorithms, which made use of transcript- and protein-alignments and multi-genome alignments, as well as gene predictions from other gene-finders. Gene-finders that used alignments of ESTs, mRNAs and proteins came in second. There was a tie for third place between gene-finders that used multi-genome alignments and ab initio gene-finders. The median gene level sensitivity of combiners was 78% and their specificity was 42%, which is nearly the same accuracy reported for combiners in the human genome. C. elegans genes with exons of unusual hexamer content, as well as those with unusually many exons, short exons, long introns, a weak translation start signal, weak splice sites, or poorly conserved orthologs posed the greatest difficulty for gene-finders. This experiment establishes a baseline of gene prediction accuracy in Caenorhabditis genomes, and has guided the choice of gene-finders for the annotation of newly sequenced genomes of Caenorhabditis and other nematode species. We have created new gene sets for C. briggsae, C. remanei, C. brenneri, C. japonica, and Brugia malayi using some of the best-performing gene-finders.

  14. A nested polymerase chain reaction for the detection of genomic DNA of Myxobolus cerebralis in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

    PubMed

    Andree, K B; MacConnell, E; Hedrick, R P

    1998-10-08

    A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was developed to amplify a segment of the 18S rRNA gene from Myxobolus cerebralis, the agent causing whirling disease in salmonid fish. The PCR amplifies a 415 bp amplicon that was identified by dideoxynucleotide terminated sequencing to be identical to the known 18S rDNA sequence of M. cerebralis. There was no amplification of genomic DNA from 4 other myxosporean parasites of salmonid fish from the genus Myxobolus including M. arcticus, M. insidiosus, M. neurobius, and M. squamalis. The efficacy of the PCR test to detect early infections was demonstrated by amplification of the 415 bp fragment from experimentally exposed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss at 2 h and at 1, 2, and 3 wk postexposure to actinosporean stages (triactinomyxons) of M. cerebralis. In contrast, standard microscopic examinations of stained tissue sections of the same fish used for PCR were less reliable in detecting the presence of the parasite. Additional examinations of fish 5 mo postexposure, after sporogenesis had occurred, found the PCR to be a more reliable indicator of infection than pepsin-trypsin digest (PTD) method, particularly when trout were experimentally exposed to low levels of the infectious stages of the parasite. The PCR was able to amplify to detectable levels the equivalent of a single sporoplasm of M. cerebralis as found in a tissue sample. This test improves the detection of M. cerebralis because it can detect the presence of the parasite: (1) in both hosts, (2) in all known stages of its life cycle, and (3) at lower thresholds than currently used diagnostic methods. Lastly, the PCR test is less susceptible to morphological misidentifications of the spores that can occur with current microscopic procedures.

  15. E-microsatellite markers for Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) genome: validation and cross-transferability in Apiaceae family for plant omics research and development.

    PubMed

    Sahu, Jagajjit; Das Talukdar, Anupam; Devi, Kamalakshi; Choudhury, Manabendra Dutta; Barooah, Madhumita; Modi, Mahendra Kumar; Sen, Priyabrata

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Centella asiatica (Gotu Kola) is a plant that grows in tropical swampy regions of the world and has important medicinal and culinary use. It is often considered as part of Ayurvedic medicine, traditional African medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. The unavailability of genomics resources is significantly impeding its genetic improvement. To date, no attempt has been made to develop Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) derived Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers (eSSRs) from the Centella genome. Hence, the present study aimed to develop eSSRs and their further experimental validation and cross-transferability of these markers in different genera of the Apiaceae family to which Centella belongs. An in-house pipeline was developed for the entire analyses by combining bioinformatics tools and perl scripts. A total of 4443 C. asiatica EST sequences from dbEST were processed, which generated 2617 nonredundant high quality EST sequences consisting 441 contigs and 2176 singletons. Out of 1776.5 kb of examined sequences, 417 (15.9%) ESTs containing 686 SSRs were detected with a density of one SSR per 2.59 kb. The gene ontology study revealed 282 functional domains involved in various processes, components, and functions, out of which 64 ESTs were found to have both SSRs and functional domains. Out of 603 designed EST-SSR primers, 18 pairs of primers were selected for validation based on the optimum parameter value. Reproducible amplification was obtained for six primer pairs in C. asiatica that were further tested for cross-transferability in nine other important genera/species of the Apiaceae family. Cross-transferability of the EST-SSR markers among the species were examined and Centella javanica showed highest transferability (83.3%). The study revealed six highly polymorphic EST-SSR primers with an average PIC value of 0.95. In conclusion, these EST-SSR markers hold a big promise for the genomics analysis of Centella asiatica, to facilitate comparative

  16. EST! best practices

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-10-05

    This booklet presents the eighteen winners in a competition for projects that promote environmentally sustainable transportation (EST). These range from car sharing to hydrogen fueled buses to public transit promotion campaign. Each project is presen...

  17. Juvenile salmonid migratory behavior at the mouth of the Columbia River and within the plume

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McMichael, Geoffrey A.; O'Toole, Amanda C.; Harnish, Ryan A.

    A total of 8,159 acoustic-tagged salmonid smolts were detected at the mouth of the Columbia River. Of the fish detected at the mouth, 14% of yearling Chinook salmon, 9% of steelhead, and 22% of subyearling Chinook salmon were detected on a sparse array deployed in the Columbia River plume. Chinook salmon smolts decreased travel rate as they left the river and entered the plume, while steelhead increased travel rate. Chinook salmon also spent more time in the transitional area between the river mouth and plume as compared to steelhead. In early spring, yearling Chinook salmon and steelhead predominately migrated pastmore » the plume array towards the edge of the shelf and to the south. Later in the season, yearling Chinook salmon and steelhead smolts tended to migrate out of the river mouth in a northerly direction. Subyearling Chinook salmon migrated predominately past the portion of the plume array to the north of the river mouth.« less

  18. Conservation and divergence of ADAM family proteins in the Xenopus genome

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Members of the disintegrin metalloproteinase (ADAM) family play important roles in cellular and developmental processes through their functions as proteases and/or binding partners for other proteins. The amphibian Xenopus has long been used as a model for early vertebrate development, but genome-wide analyses for large gene families were not possible until the recent completion of the X. tropicalis genome sequence and the availability of large scale expression sequence tag (EST) databases. In this study we carried out a systematic analysis of the X. tropicalis genome and uncovered several interesting features of ADAM genes in this species. Results Based on the X. tropicalis genome sequence and EST databases, we identified Xenopus orthologues of mammalian ADAMs and obtained full-length cDNA clones for these genes. The deduced protein sequences, synteny and exon-intron boundaries are conserved between most human and X. tropicalis orthologues. The alternative splicing patterns of certain Xenopus ADAM genes, such as adams 22 and 28, are similar to those of their mammalian orthologues. However, we were unable to identify an orthologue for ADAM7 or 8. The Xenopus orthologue of ADAM15, an active metalloproteinase in mammals, does not contain the conserved zinc-binding motif and is hence considered proteolytically inactive. We also found evidence for gain of ADAM genes in Xenopus as compared to other species. There is a homologue of ADAM10 in Xenopus that is missing in most mammals. Furthermore, a single scaffold of X. tropicalis genome contains four genes encoding ADAM28 homologues, suggesting genome duplication in this region. Conclusions Our genome-wide analysis of ADAM genes in X. tropicalis revealed both conservation and evolutionary divergence of these genes in this amphibian species. On the one hand, all ADAMs implicated in normal development and health in other species are conserved in X. tropicalis. On the other hand, some ADAM genes and ADAM protease

  19. Removal of small dams and its influence on physical habitat for salmonids in a Norwegian river

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fjeldstad, Hans-Petter; Barlaup, Bjørn; Stickler, Morten; Alfredsen, Knut; Gabrielsen, Sven-Erik

    2010-05-01

    While research and implementation of upstream migration solutions is extensive, and indeed often successful, full scale restoration projects and investigations of their influence on fish biology are rare in Norway. Acid deposition in Norwegian catchments peaked in the 1980's and resulted in both chronically and episodically acidified rivers and Salmonids in River Nidelva, one of the largest cathments in southern Norway, where extinct for decades. During this period hydropower development in the river paid limited attention to aquatic ecology. Weirs were constructed for esthetic purposes in the late 1970's and turned a 3 km stretch into a lake habitat, well suited for lake dwelling fish species, but unsuited for migration, spawning and juvenile habitat for salmonids. Since 2005, continuous liming to mitigate acidification has improved the water quality and a program for reintroduction of Atlantic salmon has been implemented. We used hydraulic modeling to plan the removal of two weirs on a bypass reach of the river. The 50 meters wide concrete weirs were blasted and removed in 2007, and ecological monitoring has been carried out in the river to assess the effect of weir removal. Topographic mapping, hydraulic measurements and modeling, in combination with biological surveys before and after the removal of the weirs, has proved to represent a powerful method for design of physical habitat adjustments and assessing their influence on fish biology. The model results also supported a rapid progress of planning and executing of the works. While telemetry studies before weir removal suggested that adult migration past the weirs was delayed with several weeks the fish can now pass the reach with minor obstacles. Spawning sites were discovered in the old bed substrate and were occupied already the first season after water velocities increased to suitable levels for spawning. Accordingly, the densities of Atlantic salmon juveniles have shown a marked increased after the

  20. An online database for IHN virus in Pacific Salmonid fish: MEAP-IHNV

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kurath, Gael

    2012-01-01

    The MEAP-IHNV database provides access to detailed data for anyone interested in IHNV molecular epidemiology, such as fish health professionals, fish culture facility managers, and academic researchers. The flexible search capabilities enable the user to generate various output formats, including tables and maps, which should assist users in developing and testing hypotheses about how IHNV moves across landscapes and changes over time. The MEAP-IHNV database is available online at http://gis.nacse.org/ihnv/ (fig. 1). The database contains records that provide background information and genetic sequencing data for more than 1,000 individual field isolates of the fish virus Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), and is updated approximately annually. It focuses on IHNV isolates collected throughout western North America from 1966 to the present. The database also includes a small number of IHNV isolates from Eastern Russia. By engaging the expertise of the broader community of colleagues interested in IHNV, our goal is to enhance the overall understanding of IHNV epidemiology, including defining sources of disease outbreaks and viral emergence events, identifying virus traffic patterns and potential reservoirs, and understanding how human management of salmonid fish culture affects disease. Ultimately, this knowledge can be used to develop new strategies to reduce the effect of IHN disease in cultured and wild fish.

  1. Development and validation of 697 novel polymorphic genomic and EST-SSR Markers in the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait., is an economically important North American fruit crop that is consumed because of its unique flavor and potential health benefits. However, a lack of abundant, genome-wide molecular markers has limited the adoption of modern molecular assisted sel...

  2. Development of genomic SSR markers for fingerprinting lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars and mapping genes.

    PubMed

    Rauscher, Gilda; Simko, Ivan

    2013-01-22

    Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the major crop from the group of leafy vegetables. Several types of molecular markers were developed that are effectively used in lettuce breeding and genetic studies. However only a very limited number of microsattelite-based markers are publicly available. We have employed the method of enriched microsatellite libraries to develop 97 genomic SSR markers. Testing of newly developed markers on a set of 36 Lactuca accession (33 L. sativa, and one of each L. serriola L., L. saligna L., and L. virosa L.) revealed that both the genetic heterozygosity (UHe = 0.56) and the number of loci per SSR (Na = 5.50) are significantly higher for genomic SSR markers than for previously developed EST-based SSR markers (UHe = 0.32, Na = 3.56). Fifty-four genomic SSR markers were placed on the molecular linkage map of lettuce. Distribution of markers in the genome appeared to be random, with the exception of possible cluster on linkage group 6. Any combination of 32 genomic SSRs was able to distinguish genotypes of all 36 accessions. Fourteen of newly developed SSR markers originate from fragments with high sequence similarity to resistance gene candidates (RGCs) and RGC pseudogenes. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of L. sativa accessions showed that approximately 3% of genetic diversity was within accessions, 79% among accessions, and 18% among horticultural types. The newly developed genomic SSR markers were added to the pool of previously developed EST-SSRs markers. These two types of SSR-based markers provide useful tools for lettuce cultivar fingerprinting, development of integrated molecular linkage maps, and mapping of genes.

  3. Development of genomic SSR markers for fingerprinting lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars and mapping genes

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is the major crop from the group of leafy vegetables. Several types of molecular markers were developed that are effectively used in lettuce breeding and genetic studies. However only a very limited number of microsattelite-based markers are publicly available. We have employed the method of enriched microsatellite libraries to develop 97 genomic SSR markers. Results Testing of newly developed markers on a set of 36 Lactuca accession (33 L. sativa, and one of each L. serriola L., L. saligna L., and L. virosa L.) revealed that both the genetic heterozygosity (UHe = 0.56) and the number of loci per SSR (Na = 5.50) are significantly higher for genomic SSR markers than for previously developed EST-based SSR markers (UHe = 0.32, Na = 3.56). Fifty-four genomic SSR markers were placed on the molecular linkage map of lettuce. Distribution of markers in the genome appeared to be random, with the exception of possible cluster on linkage group 6. Any combination of 32 genomic SSRs was able to distinguish genotypes of all 36 accessions. Fourteen of newly developed SSR markers originate from fragments with high sequence similarity to resistance gene candidates (RGCs) and RGC pseudogenes. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of L. sativa accessions showed that approximately 3% of genetic diversity was within accessions, 79% among accessions, and 18% among horticultural types. Conclusions The newly developed genomic SSR markers were added to the pool of previously developed EST-SSRs markers. These two types of SSR-based markers provide useful tools for lettuce cultivar fingerprinting, development of integrated molecular linkage maps, and mapping of genes. PMID:23339733

  4. Characterization of full-length sequenced cDNA inserts (FLIcs) from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

    PubMed Central

    Andreassen, Rune; Lunner, Sigbjørn; Høyheim, Bjørn

    2009-01-01

    Background Sequencing of the Atlantic salmon genome is now being planned by an international research consortium. Full-length sequenced inserts from cDNAs (FLIcs) are an important tool for correct annotation and clustering of the genomic sequence in any species. The large amount of highly similar duplicate sequences caused by the relatively recent genome duplication in the salmonid ancestor represents a particular challenge for the genome project. FLIcs will therefore be an extremely useful resource for the Atlantic salmon sequencing project. In addition to be helpful in order to distinguish between duplicate genome regions and in determining correct gene structures, FLIcs are an important resource for functional genomic studies and for investigation of regulatory elements controlling gene expression. In contrast to the large number of ESTs available, including the ESTs from 23 developmental and tissue specific cDNA libraries contributed by the Salmon Genome Project (SGP), the number of sequences where the full-length of the cDNA insert has been determined has been small. Results High quality full-length insert sequences from 560 pre-smolt white muscle tissue specific cDNAs were generated, accession numbers [GenBank: BT043497 - BT044056]. Five hundred and ten (91%) of the transcripts were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) terms and 440 of the FLIcs are likely to contain a complete coding sequence (cCDS). The sequence information was used to identify putative paralogs, characterize salmon Kozak motifs, polyadenylation signal variation and to identify motifs likely to be involved in the regulation of particular genes. Finally, conserved 7-mers in the 3'UTRs were identified, of which some were identical to miRNA target sequences. Conclusion This paper describes the first Atlantic salmon FLIcs from a tissue and developmental stage specific cDNA library. We have demonstrated that many FLIcs contained a complete coding sequence (cCDS). This suggests that the remaining c

  5. How Well Can We Predict Salmonid Spawning Habitat with LiDAR?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pfeiffer, A.; Finnegan, N. J.; Hayes, S.

    2013-12-01

    Suitable salmonid spawning habitat is, to a great extent, determined by physical, landscape driven characteristics such as channel morphology and grain size. Identifying reaches with high-quality spawning habitat is essential to restoration efforts in areas where salmonid species are endangered or threatened. While both predictions of suitable habitat and observations of utilized habitat are common in the literature, they are rarely combined. Here we exploit a unique combination of high-resolution LiDAR data and seven years of 387 individually surveyed Coho and Steelhead redds in Scott Creek, a 77 km2 un-glaciated coastal California drainage in the Santa Cruz Mountains, to both make and test predictions of spawning habitat. Using a threshold channel assumption, we predict grain size throughout Scott Creek via a shear stress model that incorporates channel width, instead of height, using Manning's equation (Snyder et al., 2013). Slope and drainage area are computed from a LiDAR-derived DEM, and channel width is calculated via hydraulic modeling. Our results for median grain size predictions closely match median grain sizes (D50) measured in the field, with the majority of sites having predicted D50's within a factor of two of the observed values, especially for reaches with D50 > 0.02m. This success suggests that the threshold model used to predict grain size is appropriate for un-glaciated alluvial channel systems. However, it appears that grain size alone is not a strong predictor of salmon spawning. Reaches with a high (>0.1m) average predicted D50 do have lower redd densities, as expected based on spawning gravel sizes in the literature. However, reaches with lower (<0.1m) predicted D50 have a wide range of redd densities, suggesting that reach-average grain size alone cannot explain spawning site selection in the finer-grained reaches of Scott Creek. We turn to analysis of bedform morphology in order to explain the variation in redd density in the low

  6. GenomeFingerprinter: the genome fingerprint and the universal genome fingerprint analysis for systematic comparative genomics.

    PubMed

    Ai, Yuncan; Ai, Hannan; Meng, Fanmei; Zhao, Lei

    2013-01-01

    No attention has been paid on comparing a set of genome sequences crossing genetic components and biological categories with far divergence over large size range. We define it as the systematic comparative genomics and aim to develop the methodology. First, we create a method, GenomeFingerprinter, to unambiguously produce a set of three-dimensional coordinates from a sequence, followed by one three-dimensional plot and six two-dimensional trajectory projections, to illustrate the genome fingerprint of a given genome sequence. Second, we develop a set of concepts and tools, and thereby establish a method called the universal genome fingerprint analysis (UGFA). Particularly, we define the total genetic component configuration (TGCC) (including chromosome, plasmid, and phage) for describing a strain as a systematic unit, the universal genome fingerprint map (UGFM) of TGCC for differentiating strains as a universal system, and the systematic comparative genomics (SCG) for comparing a set of genomes crossing genetic components and biological categories. Third, we construct a method of quantitative analysis to compare two genomes by using the outcome dataset of genome fingerprint analysis. Specifically, we define the geometric center and its geometric mean for a given genome fingerprint map, followed by the Euclidean distance, the differentiate rate, and the weighted differentiate rate to quantitatively describe the difference between two genomes of comparison. Moreover, we demonstrate the applications through case studies on various genome sequences, giving tremendous insights into the critical issues in microbial genomics and taxonomy. We have created a method, GenomeFingerprinter, for rapidly computing, geometrically visualizing, intuitively comparing a set of genomes at genome fingerprint level, and hence established a method called the universal genome fingerprint analysis, as well as developed a method of quantitative analysis of the outcome dataset. These have set

  7. Salmonid Gamete Preservation in the Snake River Basin : 2000 Annual Report.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Armstrong, Robyn; Kucera, Paul A.

    2001-06-01

    Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations in the Northwest are decreasing. Genetic diversity is being lost at an alarming rate. The Nez Perce Tribe (Tribe) strives to ensure availability of genetic samples of the existing male salmonid population by establishing and maintaining a germplasm repository. The sampling strategy, initiated in 1992, has been to collect and preserve male salmon and steelhead genetic diversity across the geographic landscape by sampling within the major river subbasins in the Snake River basin, assuming a metapopulation structure existed historically. Gamete cryopreservation conserves genetic diversity in a germplasm repository, but is notmore » a recovery action for listed fish species. The Tribe was funded in 2000 by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) to coordinate gene banking of male gametes from Endangered Species Act listed steelhead and spring and summer chinook salmon in the Snake River basin. In 2000, a total of 349 viable chinook salmon semen samples from the Lostine River, Catherine Creek, upper Grande Ronde River, Lookingglass Hatchery (Imnaha River stock), Rapid River Hatchery, Lake Creek, the South Fork Salmon River weir, Johnson Creek, Big Creek, Capehorn Creek, Marsh Creek, Pahsimeroi Hatchery, and Sawtooth Hatchery (upper Salmon River stock) were cryopreserved. Also, 283 samples of male steelhead gametes from Dworshak Hatchery, Fish Creek, Grande Ronde River, Imnaha River, Little Sheep Creek, Pahsimeroi Hatchery and Oxbow Hatchery were also cryopreserved. The Tribe acquired 5 frozen steelhead samples from the Selway River collected in 1994 and 15 from Fish Creek sampled in 1993 from the U.S. Geological Survey, for addition into the germplasm repository. Also, 590 cryopreserved samples from the Grande Ronde chinook salmon captive broodstock program are being stored at the University of

  8. Isolation and Characterization of EstC, a New Cold-Active Esterase from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

    PubMed Central

    Brault, Guillaume; Shareck, François; Hurtubise, Yves; Lépine, François; Doucet, Nicolas

    2012-01-01

    The genome sequence of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) contains more than 50 genes coding for putative lipolytic enzymes. Many studies have shown the capacity of this actinomycete to store important reserves of intracellular triacylglycerols in nutrient depletion situations. In the present study, we used genome mining of S. coelicolor to identify genes coding for putative, non-secreted esterases/lipases. Two genes were cloned and successfully overexpressed in E. coli as His-tagged fusion proteins. One of the recombinant enzymes, EstC, showed interesting cold-active esterase activity with a strong potential for the production of valuable esters. The purified enzyme displayed optimal activity at 35°C and was cold-active with retention of 25% relative activity at 10°C. Its optimal pH was 8.5–9 but the enzyme kept more than 75% of its maximal activity between pH 7.5 and 10. EstC also showed remarkable tolerance over a wide range of pH values, retaining almost full residual activity between pH 6–11. The enzyme was active toward short-chain p-nitrophenyl esters (C2–C12), displaying optimal activity with the valerate (C5) ester (k cat/K m = 737±77 s−1 mM−1). The enzyme was also very active toward short chain triglycerides such as triacetin (C2:0) and tributyrin (C4:0), in addition to showing good primary alcohol and organic solvent tolerance, suggesting it could function as an interesting candidate for organic synthesis of short-chain esters such as flavors. PMID:22396747

  9. GENOMIC ADAPTATION OF THE EMBRYONIC STEM CELL TEST (EST) FOR A TOXICOLOGICAL STUDY OF DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Among the many promised and potential applications of embryonic stem cells, in vitro toxicology is one area in which ES cells have already proven their utility. In 2003, the Embryonic Stem Cell Test (EST) protocol was validated in Europe as an in vitro alternative to live animal...

  10. Transcriptional and phylogenetic analysis of five complete ambystomatid salamander mitochondrial genomes.

    PubMed

    Samuels, Amy K; Weisrock, David W; Smith, Jeramiah J; France, Katherine J; Walker, John A; Putta, Srikrishna; Voss, S Randal

    2005-04-11

    We report on a study that extended mitochondrial transcript information from a recent EST project to obtain complete mitochondrial genome sequence for 5 tiger salamander complex species (Ambystoma mexicanum, A. t. tigrinum, A. andersoni, A. californiense, and A. dumerilii). We describe, for the first time, aspects of mitochondrial transcription in a representative amphibian, and then use complete mitochondrial sequence data to examine salamander phylogeny at both deep and shallow levels of evolutionary divergence. The available mitochondrial ESTs for A. mexicanum (N=2481) and A. t. tigrinum (N=1205) provided 92% and 87% coverage of the mitochondrial genome, respectively. Complete mitochondrial sequences for all species were rapidly obtained by using long distance PCR and DNA sequencing. A number of genome structural characteristics (base pair length, base composition, gene number, gene boundaries, codon usage) were highly similar among all species and to other distantly related salamanders. Overall, mitochondrial transcription in Ambystoma approximated the pattern observed in other vertebrates. We inferred from the mapping of ESTs onto mtDNA that transcription occurs from both heavy and light strand promoters and continues around the entire length of the mtDNA, followed by post-transcriptional processing. However, the observation of many short transcripts corresponding to rRNA genes indicates that transcription may often terminate prematurely to bias transcription of rRNA genes; indeed an rRNA transcription termination signal sequence was observed immediately following the 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analyses of salamander family relationships consistently grouped Ambystomatidae in a clade containing Cryptobranchidae and Hynobiidae, to the exclusion of Salamandridae. This robust result suggests a novel alternative hypothesis because previous studies have consistently identified Ambystomatidae and Salamandridae as closely related taxa. Phylogenetic analyses of tiger

  11. A Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for the Detection and Quantification of Epizootic Epitheliotropic Disease Virus (EEDV; Salmonid Herpesvirus 3).

    PubMed

    Glenney, Gavin W; Barbash, Patricia A; Coll, John A

    2016-03-01

    Epizootic epitheliotropic disease virus (EEDV; salmonid herpesvirus [SalHV3]; family Alloherpesviridae) causes a systemic disease of juvenile and yearling Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush. No cell lines are currently available for the culture and propagation of EEDV, so primary diagnosis is limited to PCR and electron microscopy. To better understand the pervasiveness of EEDV (carrier or latent state of infection) in domesticated and wild Lake Trout populations, we developed a sensitive TaqMan quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to detect the presence of the EEDV terminase gene in Lake Trout tissues. This assay was able to detect a linear standard curve over nine logs of plasmid dilution and was sensitive enough to detect single-digit copies of EEDV. The efficiency of the PCR assay was 99.4 ± 0.06% (mean ± SD), with a 95% confidence limit of 0.0296 (R(2) = 0.994). Methods were successfully applied to collect preliminary data from a number of species and water bodies in the states of Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont, indicating that EEDV is more common in wild fish than previously known. In addition, through the development of this qPCR assay, we detected EEDV in a new salmonid species, the Cisco Coregonus artedi. The qPCR assay was unexpectedly able to detect two additional herpesviruses, the Atlantic Salmon papillomatosis virus (ASPV; SalHV4) and the Namaycush herpesvirus (NamHV; SalHV5), which both share high sequence identity with the EEDV terminase gene. With these unexpected findings, we subsequently designed three primer sets to confirm initial TaqMan qPCR assay positives and to differentiate among EEDV, ASPV, and NamHV by detecting the glycoprotein genes via SYBR Green qPCR. Received April 20, 2015; accepted November 10, 2015.

  12. Development of EST Intron-Targeting SNP Markers for Panax ginseng and Their Application to Cultivar Authentication

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Hongtao; Li, Guisheng; Kwon, Woo-Saeng; Yang, Deok-Chun

    2016-01-01

    Panax ginseng is one of the most valuable medicinal plants in the Orient. The low level of genetic variation has limited the application of molecular markers for cultivar authentication and marker-assisted selection in cultivated ginseng. To exploit DNA polymorphism within ginseng cultivars, ginseng expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were searched against the potential intron polymorphism (PIP) database to predict the positions of introns. Intron-flanking primers were then designed in conserved exon regions and used to amplify across the more variable introns. Sequencing results showed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), as well as indels, were detected in four EST-derived introns, and SNP markers specific to “Gopoong” and “K-1” were first reported in this study. Based on cultivar-specific SNP sites, allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted and proved to be effective for the authentication of ginseng cultivars. Additionally, the combination of a simple NaOH-Tris DNA isolation method and real-time allele-specific PCR assay enabled the high throughput selection of cultivars from ginseng fields. The established real-time allele-specific PCR assay should be applied to molecular authentication and marker assisted selection of P. ginseng cultivars, and the EST intron-targeting strategy will provide a potential approach for marker development in species without whole genomic DNA sequence information. PMID:27271615

  13. PAVE: program for assembling and viewing ESTs.

    PubMed

    Soderlund, Carol; Johnson, Eric; Bomhoff, Matthew; Descour, Anne

    2009-08-26

    New sequencing technologies are rapidly emerging. Many laboratories are simultaneously working with the traditional Sanger ESTs and experimenting with ESTs generated by the 454 Life Science sequencers. Though Sanger ESTs have been used to generate contigs for many years, no program takes full advantage of the 5' and 3' mate-pair information, hence, many tentative transcripts are assembled into two separate contigs. The new 454 technology has the benefit of high-throughput expression profiling, but introduces time and space problems for assembling large contigs. The PAVE (Program for Assembling and Viewing ESTs) assembler takes advantage of the 5' and 3' mate-pair information by requiring that the mate-pairs be assembled into the same contig and joined by n's if the two sub-contigs do not overlap. It handles the depth of 454 data sets by "burying" similar ESTs during assembly, which retains the expression level information while circumventing time and space problems. PAVE uses MegaBLAST for the clustering step and CAP3 for assembly, however it assembles incrementally to enforce the mate-pair constraint, bury ESTs, and reduce incorrect joins and splits. The PAVE data management system uses a MySQL database to store multiple libraries of ESTs along with their metadata; the management system allows multiple assemblies with variations on libraries and parameters. Analysis routines provide standard annotation for the contigs including a measure of differentially expressed genes across the libraries. A Java viewer program is provided for display and analysis of the results. Our results clearly show the benefit of using the PAVE assembler to explicitly use mate-pair information and bury ESTs for large contigs. The PAVE assembler provides a software package for assembling Sanger and/or 454 ESTs. The assembly software, data management software, Java viewer and user's guide are freely available.

  14. Comparative mapping in intraspecific populations uncovers a high degree of macrosynteny between A- and B-genome diploid species of peanut

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Cultivated peanut or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed crop with an allotetraploid genome (AABB, 2n = 4x = 40). Both the low level of genetic variation within the cultivated gene pool and its polyploid nature limit the utilization of molecular markers to explore genome structure and facilitate genetic improvement. Nevertheless, a wealth of genetic diversity exists in diploid Arachis species (2n = 2x = 20), which represent a valuable gene pool for cultivated peanut improvement. Interspecific populations have been used widely for genetic mapping in diploid species of Arachis. However, an intraspecific mapping strategy was essential to detect chromosomal rearrangements among species that could be obscured by mapping in interspecific populations. To develop intraspecific reference linkage maps and gain insights into karyotypic evolution within the genus, we comparatively mapped the A- and B-genome diploid species using intraspecific F2 populations. Exploring genome organization among diploid peanut species by comparative mapping will enhance our understanding of the cultivated tetraploid peanut genome. Moreover, new sources of molecular markers that are highly transferable between species and developed from expressed genes will be required to construct saturated genetic maps for peanut. Results A total of 2,138 EST-SSR (expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat) markers were developed by mining a tetraploid peanut EST assembly including 101,132 unigenes (37,916 contigs and 63,216 singletons) derived from 70,771 long-read (Sanger) and 270,957 short-read (454) sequences. A set of 97 SSR markers were also developed by mining 9,517 genomic survey sequences of Arachis. An SSR-based intraspecific linkage map was constructed using an F2 population derived from a cross between K 9484 (PI 298639) and GKBSPSc 30081 (PI 468327) in the B-genome species A. batizocoi. A high degree of macrosynteny was observed when comparing the

  15. Improved Annotation of 3′ Untranslated Regions and Complex Loci by Combination of Strand-Specific Direct RNA Sequencing, RNA-Seq and ESTs

    PubMed Central

    Song, Junfang; Duc, Céline; Storey, Kate G.; McLean, W. H. Irwin; Brown, Sara J.; Simpson, Gordon G.; Barton, Geoffrey J.

    2014-01-01

    The reference annotations made for a genome sequence provide the framework for all subsequent analyses of the genome. Correct and complete annotation in addition to the underlying genomic sequence is particularly important when interpreting the results of RNA-seq experiments where short sequence reads are mapped against the genome and assigned to genes according to the annotation. Inconsistencies in annotations between the reference and the experimental system can lead to incorrect interpretation of the effect on RNA expression of an experimental treatment or mutation in the system under study. Until recently, the genome-wide annotation of 3′ untranslated regions received less attention than coding regions and the delineation of intron/exon boundaries. In this paper, data produced for samples in Human, Chicken and A. thaliana by the novel single-molecule, strand-specific, Direct RNA Sequencing technology from Helicos Biosciences which locates 3′ polyadenylation sites to within +/− 2 nt, were combined with archival EST and RNA-Seq data. Nine examples are illustrated where this combination of data allowed: (1) gene and 3′ UTR re-annotation (including extension of one 3′ UTR by 5.9 kb); (2) disentangling of gene expression in complex regions; (3) clearer interpretation of small RNA expression and (4) identification of novel genes. While the specific examples displayed here may become obsolete as genome sequences and their annotations are refined, the principles laid out in this paper will be of general use both to those annotating genomes and those seeking to interpret existing publically available annotations in the context of their own experimental data. PMID:24722185

  16. An epidemiological model of virus transmission in salmonid fishes of the Columbia River Basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ferguson, Paige F. B.; Breyta, Rachel; Brito, Ilana L.; Kurath, Gael; LaDeau, Shannon L.

    2018-01-01

    cohort-sites experienced self-exposure by infected juvenile fish, this transmission route had the greatest probability of infection (0.22). Increased testing and/or determining whether transmission can occur from cohort-sites without testing records (e.g., determining there was no testing record because there were no fish at the cohort-site) are expected to improve inference about infection probabilities. Increased use of secure water supplies and continued use of biosecurity protocols may reduce IHNV transmission from adult fish and juvenile fish within the site, respectively, to juvenile salmonids at hatcheries. Models and conclusions from this study are potentially relevant to understanding the relative importance of transmission routes for other important aquatic pathogens in salmonids, including the agents of bacterial kidney disease and coldwater disease, and the basic approach may be useful for other pathogens and hosts in other geographic regions.

  17. Characterization of the Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) Global Transcriptome Using Illumina Paired-End Sequencing and Development of EST-SSR Markers

    PubMed Central

    Li, Hui; Li, Defang; Chen, Anguo; Tang, Huijuan; Li, Jianjun; Huang, Siqi

    2016-01-01

    Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an economically important natural fiber crop grown worldwide. However, only 20 expressed tag sequences (ESTs) for kenaf are available in public databases. The aim of this study was to develop large-scale simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to lay a solid foundation for the construction of genetic linkage maps and marker-assisted breeding in kenaf. We used Illumina paired-end sequencing technology to generate new EST-simple sequences and MISA software to mine SSR markers. We identified 71,318 unigenes with an average length of 1143 nt and annotated these unigenes using four different protein databases. Overall, 9324 complementary pairs were designated as EST-SSR markers, and their quality was validated using 100 randomly selected SSR markers. In total, 72 primer pairs reproducibly amplified target amplicons, and 61 of these primer pairs detected significant polymorphism among 28 kenaf accessions. Thus, in this study, we have developed large-scale SSR markers for kenaf, and this new resource will facilitate construction of genetic linkage maps, investigation of fiber growth and development in kenaf, and also be of value to novel gene discovery and functional genomic studies. PMID:26960153

  18. Risk assessment for the reintroduction of anadromous salmonids upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams, Northeastern Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hardiman, Jill M.; Breyta, Rachel B.; Haskell, Craig A.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Hatten, James R.; Connolly, Patrick J.

    2017-09-12

    The Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT; Spokane, Colville, Kootenai, Coeur d’Alene, and Kalispel Tribes) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife want to reintroduce anadromous salmonids to their historical range to restore ecosystem function and lost cultural and spiritual relationships in the upper Columbia River, northeastern Washington. The UCUT contracted with the U.S. Geological Survey to assess risks to resident taxa (existing fish populations in the reintroduction area upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams) and reintroduced salmon associated with reintroduction. We developed a risk assessment framework for reintroduction of anadromous salmonids upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams. To accomplish this goal, we applied strategies identified in previous risk assessment frameworks for reintroduction. The risk assessment is an initial step towards an anadromous reintroduction strategy. An initial list of potential donor sources for reintroduction species was developed from previous published sources for Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) donors in the Transboundary Reach of the Columbia River, British Columbia; an ecological risk assessment of upper Columbia River hatchery programs on non-target taxa of concern; and a review of existing hatchery programsDuring two workshops, we further identified and ranked potential donor sources of anadromous Redband Trout (steelhead; O. mykiss), Chinook Salmon, Sockeye Salmon (O. nerka), and Coho Salmon (O. kisutch). We also identified resident fish populations of interest and their primary habitat, location, status, and pathogen concerns to determine the potential risks of reintroduction. Species were deemed of interest based on resource management and potential interactions (that is, genetics, competition, and predation) with introduced species. We developed tables of potential donors by species and characterized potential sources (hatchery and natural origins), populations (individual runs

  19. Gene discovery using massively parallel pyrosequencing to develop ESTs for the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis

    PubMed Central

    Hahn, Daniel A; Ragland, Gregory J; Shoemaker, D DeWayne; Denlinger, David L

    2009-01-01

    Background Flesh flies in the genus Sarcophaga are important models for investigating endocrinology, diapause, cold hardiness, reproduction, and immunity. Despite the prominence of Sarcophaga flesh flies as models for insect physiology and biochemistry, and in forensic studies, little genomic or transcriptomic data are available for members of this genus. We used massively parallel pyrosequencing on the Roche 454-FLX platform to produce a substantial EST dataset for the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis. To maximize sequence diversity, we pooled RNA extracted from whole bodies of all life stages and normalized the cDNA pool after reverse transcription. Results We obtained 207,110 ESTs with an average read length of 241 bp. These reads assembled into 20,995 contigs and 31,056 singletons. Using BLAST searches of the NR and NT databases we were able to identify 11,757 unique gene elements (E<0.0001) representing approximately 9,000 independent transcripts. Comparison of the distribution of S. crassipalpis unigenes among GO Biological Process functional groups with that of the Drosophila melanogaster transcriptome suggests that our ESTs are broadly representative of the flesh fly transcriptome. Insertion and deletion errors in 454 sequencing present a serious hurdle to comparative transcriptome analysis. Aided by a new approach to correcting for these errors, we performed a comparative analysis of genetic divergence across GO categories among S. crassipalpis, D. melanogaster, and Anopheles gambiae. The results suggest that non-synonymous substitutions occur at similar rates across categories, although genes related to response to stimuli may evolve slightly faster. In addition, we identified over 500 potential microsatellite loci and more than 12,000 SNPs among our ESTs. Conclusion Our data provides the first large-scale EST-project for flesh flies, a much-needed resource for exploring this model species. In addition, we identified a large number of potential

  20. Complete genomic sequence of an infectious pancreatic necrosis virus isolated from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in China.

    PubMed

    Ji, Feng; Zhao, Jing-Zhuang; Liu, Miao; Lu, Tong-Yan; Liu, Hong-Bai; Yin, Jiasheng; Xu, Li-Ming

    2017-04-01

    Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a significant disease of farmed salmonids resulting in direct economic losses due to high mortality in China. However, no gene sequence of any Chinese infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) isolates was available. In the study, moribund rainbow trout fry samples were collected during an outbreak of IPN in Yunnan province of southwest China in 2013. An IPNV was isolated and tentatively named ChRtm213. We determined the full genome sequence of the IPNV ChRtm213 and compared it with previously identified IPNV sequences worldwide. The sequences of different structural and non-structural protein genes were compared to those of other aquatic birnaviruses sequenced to date. The results indicated that the complete genome sequence of ChRtm213 strain contains a segment A (3099 nucleotides) coding a polyprotein VP2-VP4-VP3, and a segment B (2789 nucleotides) coding a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase VP1. The phylogenetic analyses showed that ChRtm213 strain fell within genogroup 1, serotype A9 (Jasper), having similarities of 96.3% (segment A) and 97.3% (segment B) with the IPNV strain AM98 from Japan. The results suggest that the Chinese IPNV isolate has relative closer relationship with Japanese IPNV strains. The sequence of ChRtm213 was the first gene sequence of IPNV isolates in China. This study provided a robust reference for diagnosis and/or control of IPNV prevalent in China.

  1. Construction of a genetic map using EST-SSR markers and QTL analysis of major agronomic characters in hexaploid sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam).

    PubMed

    Kim, Jin-Hee; Chung, Il Kyung; Kim, Kyung-Min

    2017-01-01

    The Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam, is difficult to study in genetics and genomics because it is a hexaploid. The sweet potato study not have been performed domestically or internationally. In this study was performed to construct genetic map and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. A total of 245 EST-SSR markers were developed, and the map was constructed by using 210 of those markers. The total map length was 1508.1 cM, and the mean distance between markers was 7.2 cM. Fifteen characteristics were investigated for QTLs analysis. According to those, the Four QTLs were identified, and The LOD score was 3.0. Further studies need to develop molecular markers in terms of EST-SSR markers for doing to be capable of efficient breeding. The genetic map created here using EST-SSR markers will facilitate planned breeding of sweet potato cultivars with various desirable traits.

  2. Physical mapping and BAC-end sequence analysis provide initial insights into the flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) genome

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important source of oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have proven health benefits and utility as an industrial raw material. Flax seeds also contain lignans which are associated with reducing the risk of certain types of cancer. Its bast fibres have broad industrial applications. However, genomic tools needed for molecular breeding were non existent. Hence a project, Total Utilization Flax GENomics (TUFGEN) was initiated. We report here the first genome-wide physical map of flax and the generation and analysis of BAC-end sequences (BES) from 43,776 clones, providing initial insights into the genome. Results The physical map consists of 416 contigs spanning ~368 Mb, assembled from 32,025 fingerprints, representing roughly 54.5% to 99.4% of the estimated haploid genome (370-675 Mb). The N50 size of the contigs was estimated to be ~1,494 kb. The longest contig was ~5,562 kb comprising 437 clones. There were 96 contigs containing more than 100 clones. Approximately 54.6 Mb representing 8-14.8% of the genome was obtained from 80,337 BES. Annotation revealed that a large part of the genome consists of ribosomal DNA (~13.8%), followed by known transposable elements at 6.1%. Furthermore, ~7.4% of sequence was identified to harbour novel repeat elements. Homology searches against flax-ESTs and NCBI-ESTs suggested that ~5.6% of the transcriptome is unique to flax. A total of 4064 putative genomic SSRs were identified and are being developed as novel markers for their use in molecular breeding. Conclusion The first genome-wide physical map of flax constructed with BAC clones provides a framework for accessing target loci with economic importance for marker development and positional cloning. Analysis of the BES has provided insights into the uniqueness of the flax genome. Compared to other plant genomes, the proportion of rDNA was found to be very high whereas the proportion of known transposable elements was low. The SSRs

  3. Physical mapping and BAC-end sequence analysis provide initial insights into the flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) genome.

    PubMed

    Ragupathy, Raja; Rathinavelu, Rajkumar; Cloutier, Sylvie

    2011-05-09

    Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is an important source of oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have proven health benefits and utility as an industrial raw material. Flax seeds also contain lignans which are associated with reducing the risk of certain types of cancer. Its bast fibres have broad industrial applications. However, genomic tools needed for molecular breeding were non existent. Hence a project, Total Utilization Flax GENomics (TUFGEN) was initiated. We report here the first genome-wide physical map of flax and the generation and analysis of BAC-end sequences (BES) from 43,776 clones, providing initial insights into the genome. The physical map consists of 416 contigs spanning ~368 Mb, assembled from 32,025 fingerprints, representing roughly 54.5% to 99.4% of the estimated haploid genome (370-675 Mb). The N50 size of the contigs was estimated to be ~1,494 kb. The longest contig was ~5,562 kb comprising 437 clones. There were 96 contigs containing more than 100 clones. Approximately 54.6 Mb representing 8-14.8% of the genome was obtained from 80,337 BES. Annotation revealed that a large part of the genome consists of ribosomal DNA (~13.8%), followed by known transposable elements at 6.1%. Furthermore, ~7.4% of sequence was identified to harbour novel repeat elements. Homology searches against flax-ESTs and NCBI-ESTs suggested that ~5.6% of the transcriptome is unique to flax. A total of 4064 putative genomic SSRs were identified and are being developed as novel markers for their use in molecular breeding. The first genome-wide physical map of flax constructed with BAC clones provides a framework for accessing target loci with economic importance for marker development and positional cloning. Analysis of the BES has provided insights into the uniqueness of the flax genome. Compared to other plant genomes, the proportion of rDNA was found to be very high whereas the proportion of known transposable elements was low. The SSRs identified from BES will be

  4. Pigeonpea genomics initiative (PGI): an international effort to improve crop productivity of pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.)

    PubMed Central

    Penmetsa, R. V.; Dutta, S.; Kulwal, P. L.; Saxena, R. K.; Datta, S.; Sharma, T. R.; Rosen, B.; Carrasquilla-Garcia, N.; Farmer, A. D.; Dubey, A.; Saxena, K. B.; Gao, J.; Fakrudin, B.; Singh, M. N.; Singh, B. P.; Wanjari, K. B.; Yuan, M.; Srivastava, R. K.; Kilian, A.; Upadhyaya, H. D.; Mallikarjuna, N.; Town, C. D.; Bruening, G. E.; He, G.; May, G. D.; McCombie, R.; Jackson, S. A.; Singh, N. K.; Cook, D. R.

    2009-01-01

    Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan), an important food legume crop in the semi-arid regions of the world and the second most important pulse crop in India, has an average crop productivity of 780 kg/ha. The relatively low crop yields may be attributed to non-availability of improved cultivars, poor crop husbandry and exposure to a number of biotic and abiotic stresses in pigeonpea growing regions. Narrow genetic diversity in cultivated germplasm has further hampered the effective utilization of conventional breeding as well as development and utilization of genomic tools, resulting in pigeonpea being often referred to as an ‘orphan crop legume’. To enable genomics-assisted breeding in this crop, the pigeonpea genomics initiative (PGI) was initiated in late 2006 with funding from Indian Council of Agricultural Research under the umbrella of Indo-US agricultural knowledge initiative, which was further expanded with financial support from the US National Science Foundation’s Plant Genome Research Program and the Generation Challenge Program. As a result of the PGI, the last 3 years have witnessed significant progress in development of both genetic as well as genomic resources in this crop through effective collaborations and coordination of genomics activities across several institutes and countries. For instance, 25 mapping populations segregating for a number of biotic and abiotic stresses have been developed or are under development. An 11X-genome coverage bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library comprising of 69,120 clones have been developed of which 50,000 clones were end sequenced to generate 87,590 BAC-end sequences (BESs). About 10,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from Sanger sequencing and ca. 2 million short ESTs by 454/FLX sequencing have been generated. A variety of molecular markers have been developed from BESs, microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR)-enriched libraries and mining of ESTs and genomic amplicon sequencing. Of about 21

  5. Survival and migration behavior of juvenile salmonids at McNary Dam, 2005: Final report of research

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Perry, Russell W.; Braatz, Amy C.; Novick, Marc S.; Lucchesi, Joel N.; Rutz, Gary L.; Koch, Ryan C.; Schei, Jacquelyn L.; Adams, Noah S.; Rondorf, Dennis W.

    2007-01-01

    During 2005, we used radio-telemetry at McNary Dam to estimate passage and survival parameters of juvenile salmonids. During the spring migration period, two treatments were implemented: 1) 12-h spill operations with spill occurring between 1800 hours and 0600 hours, and 2) 24-h spill with spill occurring 24 hours per day. Treatments were not implemented during the summer migration period. However, a court-order was issued by Judge James Redden, U.S. 9th District Court, mandating a maximum powerhouse discharge of 50 kcfs with the remaining discharge to be spilled over the 24-h diel cycle between 1 July and 31 August 2005. Consequently, our study was conducted during two distinct periods: 1) a short period of involuntary spill for 24-h per day that occurred between 22 June and 30 June 2005, and 2) the period of court-ordered spill that was implemented after 1 July 2005.

  6. SALMOD: A population model for salmonids: user's manual. Version W3

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bartholow, John; Heasley, John; Laake, Jeff; Sandelin, Jeff; Coughlan, Beth A.K.; Moos, Alan

    2002-01-01

    SALMOD is a computer model that simulates the dynamics of freshwater salmonid populations, both anadromous and resident. The conceptual model was developed in a workshop setting (Williamson et al. 1993) using fish experts concerned with Trinity River chinook restoration. The model builds on the foundation laid by similar models (see Cheslak and Jacobson 1990). The model’s premise that that egg and fish mortality are directly related to spatially and temporally variable micro- and macrohabitat limitations, which themselves are related to the timing and amount of streamflow and other meteorological variables. Habitat quality and capacity are characterized by the hydraulic and thermal properties of individual mesohabitats, which we use as spatial “computation units” in the model. The model tracks a population of spatially distinct cohorts that originate as gees and grow from one life stage to another as a function of local water temperature. Individual cohorts either remain in the computational unit in which they emerged or move, in whole or in part, to nearby units (see McCormick et al. 1998). Model processes include spawning (with red superimposition and incubation losses), growth (including egg maturation), mortality, and movement (freshet-induced, habitat-induced, and seasonal). Model processes are implemented such that the user (modeler) has the ability to more-or-less program the model on the fly to create the dynamics thought to animate the population. SALMOD then tabulates the various causes of mortality and the whereabouts of fish.

  7. Genomic Tools in Groundnut Breeding Program: Status and Perspectives

    PubMed Central

    Janila, P.; Variath, Murali T.; Pandey, Manish K.; Desmae, Haile; Motagi, Babu N.; Okori, Patrick; Manohar, Surendra S.; Rathnakumar, A. L.; Radhakrishnan, T.; Liao, Boshou; Varshney, Rajeev K.

    2016-01-01

    Groundnut, a nutrient-rich food legume, is cultivated world over. It is valued for its good quality cooking oil, energy and protein rich food, and nutrient-rich fodder. Globally, groundnut improvement programs have developed varieties to meet the preferences of farmers, traders, processors, and consumers. Enhanced yield, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and quality parameters have been the target traits. Spurt in genetic information of groundnut was facilitated by development of molecular markers, genetic, and physical maps, generation of expressed sequence tags (EST), discovery of genes, and identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for some important biotic and abiotic stresses and quality traits. The first groundnut variety developed using marker assisted breeding (MAB) was registered in 2003. Since then, USA, China, Japan, and India have begun to use genomic tools in routine groundnut improvement programs. Introgression lines that combine foliar fungal disease resistance and early maturity were developed using MAB. Establishment of marker-trait associations (MTA) paved way to integrate genomic tools in groundnut breeding for accelerated genetic gain. Genomic Selection (GS) tools are employed to improve drought tolerance and pod yield, governed by several minor effect QTLs. Draft genome sequence and low cost genotyping tools such as genotyping by sequencing (GBS) are expected to accelerate use of genomic tools to enhance genetic gains for target traits in groundnut. PMID:27014312

  8. How sea lice from salmon farms may cause wild salmonid declines in Europe and North America and be a threat to fishes elsewhere

    PubMed Central

    Costello, Mark J.

    2009-01-01

    Fishes farmed in sea pens may become infested by parasites from wild fishes and in turn become point sources for parasites. Sea lice, copepods of the family Caligidae, are the best-studied example of this risk. Sea lice are the most significant parasitic pathogen in salmon farming in Europe and the Americas, are estimated to cost the world industry €300 million a year and may also be pathogenic to wild fishes under natural conditions. Epizootics, characteristically dominated by juvenile (copepodite and chalimus) stages, have repeatedly occurred on juvenile wild salmonids in areas where farms have sea lice infestations, but have not been recorded elsewhere. This paper synthesizes the literature, including modelling studies, to provide an understanding of how one species, the salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, can infest wild salmonids from farm sources. Three-dimensional hydrographic models predicted the distribution of the planktonic salmon lice larvae best when they accounted for wind-driven surface currents and larval behaviour. Caligus species can also cause problems on farms and transfer from farms to wild fishes, and this genus is cosmopolitan. Sea lice thus threaten finfish farming worldwide, but with the possible exception of L. salmonis, their host relationships and transmission adaptations are unknown. The increasing evidence that lice from farms can be a significant cause of mortality on nearby wild fish populations provides an additional challenge to controlling lice on the farms and also raises conservation, economic and political issues about how to balance aquaculture and fisheries resource management. PMID:19586950

  9. Genome-wide analysis of esterase-like genes in the striped rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis.

    PubMed

    Wang, Baoju; Wang, Ying; Zhang, Yang; Han, Ping; Li, Fei; Han, Zhaojun

    2015-06-01

    The striped rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis, a destructive pest of rice, has developed high levels of resistance to certain insecticides. Esterases are reported to be involved in insecticide resistance in several insects. Therefore, this study systematically analyzed esterase-like genes in C. suppressalis. Fifty-one esterase-like genes were identified in the draft genomic sequences of the species, and 20 cDNA sequences were derived which encoded full- or nearly full-length proteins. The putative esterase proteins derived from these full-length genes are overall highly diversified. However, key residues that are functionally important including the serine residue in the active site are conserved in 18 out of the 20 proteins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of these genes have homologues in other lepidoptera insects. Genes CsuEst6, CsuEst10, CsuEst11, and CsuEst51 were induced by the insecticide triazophos, and genes CsuEst9, CsuEst11, CsuEst14, and CsuEst51 were induced by the insecticide chlorantraniliprole. Our results provide a foundation for future studies of insecticide resistance in C. suppressalis and for comparative research with esterase genes from other insect species.

  10. Genomic selection exploits within-family genetic variation for disease resistance in rainbow trout

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Flavobacterium psychrophilum is the etiological agent causing bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) in salmonid fish. Previous breeding strategies to reduce losses due to BCWD involve testing and determining phenotypic differences between multiple families of rainbow trout. These results were used to ...

  11. A novel genome-wide microsatellite resource for species of Eucalyptus with linkage-to-physical correspondence on the reference genome sequence.

    PubMed

    Grattapaglia, Dario; Mamani, Eva M C; Silva-Junior, Orzenil B; Faria, Danielle A

    2015-03-01

    Keystone species in their native ranges, eucalypts, are ecologically and genetically very diverse, growing naturally along extensive latitudinal and altitudinal ranges and variable environments. Besides their ecological importance, eucalypts are also the most widely planted trees for sustainable forestry in the world. We report the development of a novel collection of 535 microsatellites for species of Eucalyptus, 494 designed from ESTs and 41 from genomic libraries. A selected subset of 223 was evaluated for individual identification, parentage testing, and ancestral information content in the two most extensively studied species, Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus globulus. Microsatellites showed high transferability and overlapping allele size range, suggesting they have arisen still in their common ancestor and confirming the extensive genome conservation between these two species. A consensus linkage map with 437 microsatellites, the most comprehensive microsatellite-only genetic map for Eucalyptus, was built by assembling segregation data from three mapping populations and anchored to the Eucalyptus genome. An overall colinearity between recombination-based and physical positioning of 84% of the mapped microsatellites was observed, with some ordering discrepancies and sporadic locus duplications, consistent with the recently described whole genome duplication events in Eucalyptus. The linkage map covered 95.2% of the 605.8-Mbp assembled genome sequence, placing one microsatellite every 1.55 Mbp on average, and an overall estimate of physical to recombination distance of 618 kbp/cM. The genetic parameters estimates together with linkage and physical position data for this large set of microsatellites should assist marker choice for genome-wide population genetics and comparative mapping in Eucalyptus. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Experimental and statistical post-validation of positive example EST sequences carrying peroxisome targeting signals type 1 (PTS1).

    PubMed

    Lingner, Thomas; Kataya, Amr R A; Reumann, Sigrun

    2012-02-01

    We recently developed the first algorithms specifically for plants to predict proteins carrying peroxisome targeting signals type 1 (PTS1) from genome sequences. As validated experimentally, the prediction methods are able to correctly predict unknown peroxisomal Arabidopsis proteins and to infer novel PTS1 tripeptides. The high prediction performance is primarily determined by the large number and sequence diversity of the underlying positive example sequences, which mainly derived from EST databases. However, a few constructs remained cytosolic in experimental validation studies, indicating sequencing errors in some ESTs. To identify erroneous sequences, we validated subcellular targeting of additional positive example sequences in the present study. Moreover, we analyzed the distribution of prediction scores separately for each orthologous group of PTS1 proteins, which generally resembled normal distributions with group-specific mean values. The cytosolic sequences commonly represented outliers of low prediction scores and were located at the very tail of a fitted normal distribution. Three statistical methods for identifying outliers were compared in terms of sensitivity and specificity." Their combined application allows elimination of erroneous ESTs from positive example data sets. This new post-validation method will further improve the prediction accuracy of both PTS1 and PTS2 protein prediction models for plants, fungi, and mammals.

  13. Experimental and statistical post-validation of positive example EST sequences carrying peroxisome targeting signals type 1 (PTS1)

    PubMed Central

    Lingner, Thomas; Kataya, Amr R. A.; Reumann, Sigrun

    2012-01-01

    We recently developed the first algorithms specifically for plants to predict proteins carrying peroxisome targeting signals type 1 (PTS1) from genome sequences.1 As validated experimentally, the prediction methods are able to correctly predict unknown peroxisomal Arabidopsis proteins and to infer novel PTS1 tripeptides. The high prediction performance is primarily determined by the large number and sequence diversity of the underlying positive example sequences, which mainly derived from EST databases. However, a few constructs remained cytosolic in experimental validation studies, indicating sequencing errors in some ESTs. To identify erroneous sequences, we validated subcellular targeting of additional positive example sequences in the present study. Moreover, we analyzed the distribution of prediction scores separately for each orthologous group of PTS1 proteins, which generally resembled normal distributions with group-specific mean values. The cytosolic sequences commonly represented outliers of low prediction scores and were located at the very tail of a fitted normal distribution. Three statistical methods for identifying outliers were compared in terms of sensitivity and specificity.” Their combined application allows elimination of erroneous ESTs from positive example data sets. This new post-validation method will further improve the prediction accuracy of both PTS1 and PTS2 protein prediction models for plants, fungi, and mammals. PMID:22415050

  14. PolyA_DB 3 catalogs cleavage and polyadenylation sites identified by deep sequencing in multiple genomes

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Ruijia; Nambiar, Ram; Zheng, Dinghai

    2018-01-01

    Abstract PolyA_DB is a database cataloging cleavage and polyadenylation sites (PASs) in several genomes. Previous versions were based mainly on expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which had a limited amount and could lead to inaccurate PAS identification due to the presence of internal A-rich sequences in transcripts. Here, we present an updated version of the database based solely on deep sequencing data. First, PASs are mapped by the 3′ region extraction and deep sequencing (3′READS) method, ensuring unequivocal PAS identification. Second, a large volume of data based on diverse biological samples increases PAS coverage by 3.5-fold over the EST-based version and provides PAS usage information. Third, strand-specific RNA-seq data are used to extend annotated 3′ ends of genes to obtain more thorough annotations of alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites. Fourth, conservation information of PAS across mammals sheds light on significance of APA sites. The database (URL: http://www.polya-db.org/v3) currently holds PASs in human, mouse, rat and chicken, and has links to the UCSC genome browser for further visualization and for integration with other genomic data. PMID:29069441

  15. A cricket Gene Index: a genomic resource for studying neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution

    PubMed Central

    Danley, Patrick D; Mullen, Sean P; Liu, Fenglong; Nene, Vishvanath; Quackenbush, John; Shaw, Kerry L

    2007-01-01

    Background As the developmental costs of genomic tools decline, genomic approaches to non-model systems are becoming more feasible. Many of these systems may lack advanced genetic tools but are extremely valuable models in other biological fields. Here we report the development of expressed sequence tags (EST's) in an orthopteroid insect, a model for the study of neurobiology, speciation, and evolution. Results We report the sequencing of 14,502 EST's from clones derived from a nerve cord cDNA library, and the subsequent construction of a Gene Index from these sequences, from the Hawaiian trigonidiine cricket Laupala kohalensis. The Gene Index contains 8607 unique sequences comprised of 2575 tentative consensus (TC) sequences and 6032 singletons. For each of the unique sequences, an attempt was made to assign a provisional annotation and to categorize its function using a Gene Ontology-based classification through a sequence-based comparison to known proteins. In addition, a set of unique 70 base pair oligomers that can be used for DNA microarrays was developed. All Gene Index information is posted at the DFCI Gene Indices web page Conclusion Orthopterans are models used to understand the neurophysiological basis of complex motor patterns such as flight and stridulation. The sequences presented in the cricket Gene Index will provide neurophysiologists with many genetic tools that have been largely absent in this field. The cricket Gene Index is one of only two gene indices to be developed in an evolutionary model system. Species within the genus Laupala have speciated recently, rapidly, and extensively. Therefore, the genes identified in the cricket Gene Index can be used to study the genomics of speciation. Furthermore, this gene index represents a significant EST resources for basal insects. As such, this resource is a valuable comparative tool for the understanding of invertebrate molecular evolution. The sequences presented here will provide much needed genomic

  16. In silico mining and characterization of simple sequence repeats from gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) expressed sequence tags (EST-SSRs); PCR amplification, polymorphism evaluation and multiplexing and cross-species assays.

    PubMed

    Vogiatzi, Emmanouella; Lagnel, Jacques; Pakaki, Victoria; Louro, Bruno; Canario, Adelino V M; Reinhardt, Richard; Kotoulas, Georgios; Magoulas, Antonios; Tsigenopoulos, Costas S

    2011-06-01

    We screened for simple sequence repeats (SSRs) found in ESTs derived from an EST-database development project ('Marine Genomics Europe' Network of Excellence). Different motifs of di-, tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexanucleotide SSRs were evaluated for variation in length and position in the expressed sequences, relative abundance and distribution in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata). We found 899 ESTs that harbor 997 SSRs (4.94%). On average, one SSR was found per 2.95 kb of EST sequence and the dinucleotide SSRs are the most abundant accounting for 47.6% of the total number. EST-SSRs were used as template for primer design. 664 primer pairs could be successfully identified and a subset of 206 pairs of primers was synthesized, PCR-tested and visualized on ethidium bromide stained agarose gels. The main objective was to further assess the potential of EST-SSRs as informative markers and investigate their cross-species amplification in sixteen teleost fish species: seven sparid species and nine other species from different families. Approximately 78% of the primer pairs gave PCR products of expected size in gilthead sea bream, and as expected, the rate of successful amplification of sea bream EST-SSRs was higher in sparids, lower in other perciforms and even lower in species of the Clupeiform and Gadiform orders. We finally determined the polymorphism and the heterozygosity of 63 markers in a wild gilthead sea bream population; fifty-eight loci were found to be polymorphic with the expected heterozygosity and the number of alleles ranging from 0.089 to 0.946 and from 2 to 27, respectively. These tools and markers are expected to enhance the available genetic linkage map in gilthead sea bream, to assist comparative mapping and genome analyses for this species and further with other model fish species and finally to help advance genetic analysis for cultivated and wild populations and accelerate breeding programs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Phenotypic and genetic characterization of Piscirickettsia salmonis from Chilean and Canadian salmonids.

    PubMed

    Otterlei, Alexander; Brevik, Øyvind J; Jensen, Daniel; Duesund, Henrik; Sommerset, Ingunn; Frost, Petter; Mendoza, Julio; McKenzie, Peter; Nylund, Are; Apablaza, Patricia

    2016-03-15

    The study presents the phenotypic and genetic characterization of selected P. salmonis isolates from Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout suffering from SRS (salmonid rickettsial septicemia) in Chile and in Canada. The phenotypic characterization of the P. salmonis isolates were based on growth on different agar media (including a newly developed medium), different growth temperatures, antibiotics susceptibility and biochemical tests. This is the first study differentiating Chilean P. salmonis isolates into two separate genetic groups. Genotyping, based on 16S rRNA-ITS and concatenated housekeeping genes grouped the selected isolates into two clades, constituted by the Chilean strains, while the Canadian isolates form a branch in the phylogenetic tree. The latter consisted of two isolates that were different in both genetic and phenotypic characteristics. The phylogenies and the MLST do not reflect the origin of the isolates with respect to host species. The isolates included were heterogeneous in phenotypic tests. The genotyping methods developed in this study provided a tool for separation of P. salmonis isolates into distinct clades. The SRS outbreaks in Chile are caused by minimum two different genetic groups of P. salmonis. This heterogeneity should be considered in future development of vaccines against this bacterium in Chile. Two different strains of P. salmonis, in regards to genetic and phenotypic characteristics, can occur in the same contemporary outbreak of SRS.

  18. Using bioenergetics modeling to estimate consumption of native juvenile salmonids by nonnative northern pike in the Upper Flathead River System, Montana

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Muhlfeld, C.C.; Bennett, D.H.; Kirk, Steinhorst R.; Marotz, B.; Boyer, M.

    2008-01-01

    Introductions of nonnative northern pike Esox lucius have created recreational fisheries in many waters in the United States and Canada, yet many studies have shown that introduced northern pike may alter the composition and structure of fish communities through predation. We estimated the abundance of nonnative northern pike (2002-2003) and applied food habits data (1999-2003) to estimate their annual consumption of native bull trout Salvelinus confluentus and westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi juveniles in the upper Flathead River system, Montana. Population estimates were generally consistent among years and ranged from 1,200 to 1,300 individuals. Westslope cutthroat trout were present in the diet of younger (???600 mm) and older (>600 mm) northern pike during all seasons and bull trout were found only in larger northern pike during all seasons but summer. Bioenergetics modeling estimated that the northern pike population annually consumed a total of 8.0 metric tons (mt) of fish flesh; the highest biomass was composed of cyprinids (4.95 mt) followed by whitefishes Prosopium spp. (1.02 mt), bull trout (0.80 mt), westslope cutthroat trout (0.68 mt), yellow perch Perca flavescens (0.41 mt),1 and other fishes (centrarchids and cottids; 0.14 mt). Numerically, the northern pike population consumed more than 342,000 fish; cyprinids and catostomids comprised approximately 82% of prey fish (278,925), whereas over 13,000 westslope cutthroat trout and nearly 3,500 bull trout were eaten, comprising about 5% of the prey consumed. Our results suggest that predation by introduced northern pike is contributing to the lower abundance of native salmonids in the system and that a possible benefit might accrue to native salmonids by reducing these predatory interactions. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

  19. EST Express: PHP/MySQL based automated annotation of ESTs from expression libraries.

    PubMed

    Smith, Robin P; Buchser, William J; Lemmon, Marcus B; Pardinas, Jose R; Bixby, John L; Lemmon, Vance P

    2008-04-10

    Several biological techniques result in the acquisition of functional sets of cDNAs that must be sequenced and analyzed. The emergence of redundant databases such as UniGene and centralized annotation engines such as Entrez Gene has allowed the development of software that can analyze a great number of sequences in a matter of seconds. We have developed "EST Express", a suite of analytical tools that identify and annotate ESTs originating from specific mRNA populations. The software consists of a user-friendly GUI powered by PHP and MySQL that allows for online collaboration between researchers and continuity with UniGene, Entrez Gene and RefSeq. Two key features of the software include a novel, simplified Entrez Gene parser and tools to manage cDNA library sequencing projects. We have tested the software on a large data set (2,016 samples) produced by subtractive hybridization. EST Express is an open-source, cross-platform web server application that imports sequences from cDNA libraries, such as those generated through subtractive hybridization or yeast two-hybrid screens. It then provides several layers of annotation based on Entrez Gene and RefSeq to allow the user to highlight useful genes and manage cDNA library projects.

  20. EST Express: PHP/MySQL based automated annotation of ESTs from expression libraries

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Robin P; Buchser, William J; Lemmon, Marcus B; Pardinas, Jose R; Bixby, John L; Lemmon, Vance P

    2008-01-01

    Background Several biological techniques result in the acquisition of functional sets of cDNAs that must be sequenced and analyzed. The emergence of redundant databases such as UniGene and centralized annotation engines such as Entrez Gene has allowed the development of software that can analyze a great number of sequences in a matter of seconds. Results We have developed "EST Express", a suite of analytical tools that identify and annotate ESTs originating from specific mRNA populations. The software consists of a user-friendly GUI powered by PHP and MySQL that allows for online collaboration between researchers and continuity with UniGene, Entrez Gene and RefSeq. Two key features of the software include a novel, simplified Entrez Gene parser and tools to manage cDNA library sequencing projects. We have tested the software on a large data set (2,016 samples) produced by subtractive hybridization. Conclusion EST Express is an open-source, cross-platform web server application that imports sequences from cDNA libraries, such as those generated through subtractive hybridization or yeast two-hybrid screens. It then provides several layers of annotation based on Entrez Gene and RefSeq to allow the user to highlight useful genes and manage cDNA library projects. PMID:18402700

  1. Dextrans produced by lactic acid bacteria exhibit antiviral and immunomodulatory activity against salmonid viruses.

    PubMed

    Nácher-Vázquez, Montserrat; Ballesteros, Natalia; Canales, Ángeles; Rodríguez Saint-Jean, Sylvia; Pérez-Prieto, Sara Isabel; Prieto, Alicia; Aznar, Rosa; López, Paloma

    2015-06-25

    Viral infections in the aquaculture of salmonids can lead to high mortality and substantial economic losses. Thus, there is industrial interest in new molecules active against these viruses. Here we describe the production, purification, and the physicochemical and structural characterization of high molecular weight dextrans synthesized by Lactobacillus sakei MN1 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides RTF10. The purified dextrans, and commercial dextrans with molecular weights ranging from 10 to 2000kDa, were assayed in infected BF-2 and EPC fish cell-line monolayers for antiviral activity. Only T2000 and dextrans from MN1 and RTF10 had significant antiviral activity. This was similar to results obtained against infectious pancreatic necrosis virus. However the dextran from MN1 showed ten-fold higher activity against hematopoietic necrosis virus than T2000. In vivo assays using the MN1 polymer confirmed the in vitro results and revealed immunomodulatory activity. These results together with the high levels of dextran production (2gL(-1)) by Lb. sakei MN1, indicate the compounds potential utility as an antiviral agent in aquaculture. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. FrameD: A flexible program for quality check and gene prediction in prokaryotic genomes and noisy matured eukaryotic sequences.

    PubMed

    Schiex, Thomas; Gouzy, Jérôme; Moisan, Annick; de Oliveira, Yannick

    2003-07-01

    We describe FrameD, a program that predicts coding regions in prokaryotic and matured eukaryotic sequences. Initially targeted at gene prediction in bacterial GC rich genomes, the gene model used in FrameD also allows to predict genes in the presence of frameshifts and partially undetermined sequences which makes it also very suitable for gene prediction and frameshift correction in unfinished sequences such as EST and EST cluster sequences. Like recent eukaryotic gene prediction programs, FrameD also includes the ability to take into account protein similarity information both in its prediction and its graphical output. Its performances are evaluated on different bacterial genomes. The web site (http://genopole.toulouse.inra.fr/bioinfo/FrameD/FD) allows direct prediction, sequence correction and translation and the ability to learn new models for new organisms.

  3. A genome-wide analysis of the expansin genes in Malus × Domestica.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shizhong; Xu, Ruirui; Gao, Zheng; Chen, Changtian; Jiang, Zesheng; Shu, Huairui

    2014-04-01

    Expansins were first identified as cell wall-loosening proteins; they are involved in regulating cell expansion, fruits softening and many other physiological processes. However, our knowledge about the expansin family members and their evolutionary relationships in fruit trees, such as apple, is limited. In this study, we identified 41 members of the expansin gene family in the genome of apple (Malus × Domestica L. Borkh). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that expansin genes in apple could be divided into four subfamilies according to their gene structures and protein motifs. By phylogenetic analysis of the expansins in five plants (Arabidopsis, rice, poplar, grape and apple), the expansins were divided into 17 subgroups. Our gene duplication analysis revealed that whole-genome and chromosomal-segment duplications contributed to the expansion of Mdexpansins. The microarray and expressed sequence tag (EST) data showed that 34 Mdexpansin genes could be divided into five groups by the EST analysis; they may also play different roles during fruit development. An expression model for MdEXPA16 and MdEXPA20 showed their potential role in developing fruit. Overall, our study provides useful data and novel insights into the functions and regulatory mechanisms of the expansin genes in apple, as well as their evolution and divergence. As the first step towards genome-wide analysis of the expansin genes in apple, our results have established a solid foundation for future studies on the function of the expansin genes in fruit development.

  4. ExprAlign - the identification of ESTs in non-model species by alignment of cDNA microarray expression profiles

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    Background Sequence identification of ESTs from non-model species offers distinct challenges particularly when these species have duplicated genomes and when they are phylogenetically distant from sequenced model organisms. For the common carp, an environmental model of aquacultural interest, large numbers of ESTs remained unidentified using BLAST sequence alignment. We have used the expression profiles from large-scale microarray experiments to suggest gene identities. Results Expression profiles from ~700 cDNA microarrays describing responses of 7 major tissues to multiple environmental stressors were used to define a co-expression landscape. This was based on the Pearsons correlation coefficient relating each gene with all other genes, from which a network description provided clusters of highly correlated genes as 'mountains'. We show that these contain genes with known identities and genes with unknown identities, and that the correlation constitutes evidence of identity in the latter. This procedure has suggested identities to 522 of 2701 unknown carp ESTs sequences. We also discriminate several common carp genes and gene isoforms that were not discriminated by BLAST sequence alignment alone. Precision in identification was substantially improved by use of data from multiple tissues and treatments. Conclusion The detailed analysis of co-expression landscapes is a sensitive technique for suggesting an identity for the large number of BLAST unidentified cDNAs generated in EST projects. It is capable of detecting even subtle changes in expression profiles, and thereby of distinguishing genes with a common BLAST identity into different identities. It benefits from the use of multiple treatments or contrasts, and from the large-scale microarray data. PMID:19939286

  5. Issues with RNA-seq analysis in non-model organisms: A salmonid example.

    PubMed

    Sundaram, Arvind; Tengs, Torstein; Grimholt, Unni

    2017-10-01

    High throughput sequencing (HTS) is useful for many purposes as exemplified by the other topics included in this special issue. The purpose of this paper is to look into the unique challenges of using this technology in non-model organisms where resources such as genomes, functional genome annotations or genome complexity provide obstacles not met in model organisms. To describe these challenges, we narrow our scope to RNA sequencing used to study differential gene expression in response to pathogen challenge. As a demonstration species we chose Atlantic salmon, which has a sequenced genome with poor annotation and an added complexity due to many duplicated genes. We find that our RNA-seq analysis pipeline deciphers between duplicates despite high sequence identity. However, annotation issues provide problems in linking differentially expressed genes to pathways. Also, comparing results between approaches and species are complicated due to lack of standardized annotation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. A multi-year analysis of spillway survival for juvenile salmonids as a function of spill bay operations at McNary Dam, Washington and Oregon, 2004-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Adams, Noah S.; Hansel, Hal C.; Perry, Russell W.; Evans, Scott D.

    2012-01-01

    We analyzed 6 years (2004-09) of passage and survival data collected at McNary Dam to examine how spill bay operations affect survival of juvenile salmonids passing through the spillway at McNary Dam. We also examined the relations between spill bay operations and survival through the juvenile fish bypass in an attempt to determine if survival through the bypass is influenced by spill bay operations. We used a Cormack-Jolly-Seber release-recapture model (CJS model) to determine how the survival of juvenile salmonids passing through McNary Dam relates to spill bay operations. Results of these analyses, while not designed to yield predictive models, can be used to help develop dam-operation strategies that optimize juvenile salmonid survival. For example, increasing total discharge typically had a positive effect on both spillway and bypass survival for all species except sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). Likewise, an increase in spill bay discharge improved spillway survival for yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and an increase in spillway discharge positively affected spillway survival for juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The strong linear relation between increased spill and increased survival indicates that increasing the amount of water through the spillway is one strategy that could be used to improve spillway survival for yearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead. However, increased spill did not improve spillway survival for subyearling Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon. Our results indicate that a uniform spill pattern would provide the highest spillway survival and bypass survival for subyearling Chinook salmon. Conversely, a predominantly south spill pattern provided the highest spillway survival for yearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead. Although spill pattern was not a factor for spillway survival of sockeye salmon, spill bay operations that optimize passage through the north and south spill bays maximized

  7. An EST-based analysis identifies new genes and reveals distinctive gene expression features of Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Coffee is one of the world's most important crops; it is consumed worldwide and plays a significant role in the economy of producing countries. Coffea arabica and C. canephora are responsible for 70 and 30% of commercial production, respectively. C. arabica is an allotetraploid from a recent hybridization of the diploid species, C. canephora and C. eugenioides. C. arabica has lower genetic diversity and results in a higher quality beverage than C. canephora. Research initiatives have been launched to produce genomic and transcriptomic data about Coffea spp. as a strategy to improve breeding efficiency. Results Assembling the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of C. arabica and C. canephora produced by the Brazilian Coffee Genome Project and the Nestlé-Cornell Consortium revealed 32,007 clusters of C. arabica and 16,665 clusters of C. canephora. We detected different GC3 profiles between these species that are related to their genome structure and mating system. BLAST analysis revealed similarities between coffee and grape (Vitis vinifera) genes. Using KA/KS analysis, we identified coffee genes under purifying and positive selection. Protein domain and gene ontology analyses suggested differences between Coffea spp. data, mainly in relation to complex sugar synthases and nucleotide binding proteins. OrthoMCL was used to identify specific and prevalent coffee protein families when compared to five other plant species. Among the interesting families annotated are new cystatins, glycine-rich proteins and RALF-like peptides. Hierarchical clustering was used to independently group C. arabica and C. canephora expression clusters according to expression data extracted from EST libraries, resulting in the identification of differentially expressed genes. Based on these results, we emphasize gene annotation and discuss plant defenses, abiotic stress and cup quality-related functional categories. Conclusion We present the first comprehensive genome-wide transcript

  8. A fine-scale assessment of using barriers to conserve native stream salmonids: a case study in Akokala Creek, Glacier National Park, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Muhlfeld, Clint C.; D'Angelo, Vincent S.; S. T. Kalinowski,; Landguth, Erin L.; C. C. Downs,; J. Tohtz,; Kershner, Jeffrey L.

    2012-01-01

    Biologists are often faced with the difficult decision in managing native salmonids of where and when to install barriers as a conservation action to prevent upstream invasion of nonnative fishes. However, fine-scale approaches to assess long-term persistence of populations within streams and watersheds chosen for isolation management are often lacking. We employed a spatially-explicit approach to evaluate stream habitat conditions, relative abundance, and genetic diversity of native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) within the Akokala Creek watershed in Glacier National Park- a population threatened by introgressive hybridization with nonnative rainbow trout (O. mykiss) from nearby sources. The systematic survey of 24 stream reaches showed broad overlap in fish population and suitable habitat characteristics among reaches and no natural barriers to fish migration were found. Analysis of population structure using 16 microsatellite loci showed modest amounts of genetic diversity among reaches, and that fish from Long Bow Creek were the only moderately distinct genetic group. We then used this information to assess the potential impacts of three barrier placement scenarios on long-term population persistence and genetic diversity. The two barrier placement scenarios in headwater areas generally failed to meet general persistence criteria for minimum population size (2,500 individuals, Ne = 500), maintenance of long-term genetic diversity (He), and no population subdivision. Conversely, placing a barrier near the stream mouth and selectively passing non-hybridized, migratory spawners entering Akokala Creek met all persistence criteria and may offer the best option to conserve native trout populations and life history diversity. Systematic, fine-scale stream habitat, fish distribution, and genetic assessments in streams chosen for barrier installation are needed in conjunction with broader scale assessments to understand the potential impacts of

  9. Advances in Maize Genomics and Their Value for Enhancing Genetic Gains from Breeding

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Yunbi; Skinner, Debra J.; Wu, Huixia; Palacios-Rojas, Natalia; Araus, Jose Luis; Yan, Jianbing; Gao, Shibin; Warburton, Marilyn L.; Crouch, Jonathan H.

    2009-01-01

    Maize is an important crop for food, feed, forage, and fuel across tropical and temperate areas of the world. Diversity studies at genetic, molecular, and functional levels have revealed that, tropical maize germplasm, landraces, and wild relatives harbor a significantly wider range of genetic variation. Among all types of markers, SNP markers are increasingly the marker-of-choice for all genomics applications in maize breeding. Genetic mapping has been developed through conventional linkage mapping and more recently through linkage disequilibrium-based association analyses. Maize genome sequencing, initially focused on gene-rich regions, now aims for the availability of complete genome sequence. Conventional insertion mutation-based cloning has been complemented recently by EST- and map-based cloning. Transgenics and nutritional genomics are rapidly advancing fields targeting important agronomic traits including pest resistance and grain quality. Substantial advances have been made in methodologies for genomics-assisted breeding, enhancing progress in yield as well as abiotic and biotic stress resistances. Various genomic databases and informatics tools have been developed, among which MaizeGDB is the most developed and widely used by the maize research community. In the future, more emphasis should be given to the development of tools and strategic germplasm resources for more effective molecular breeding of tropical maize products. PMID:19688107

  10. Sequence evaluation of four specific cDNA libraries for developmental genomics of sunflower.

    PubMed

    Tamborindeguy, C; Ben, C; Liboz, T; Gentzbittel, L

    2004-04-01

    Four different cDNA libraries were constructed from sunflower protoplasts growing under embryogenic and non-embryogenic conditions: one standard library from each condition and two subtractive libraries in opposite sense. A total of 22,876 cDNA clones were obtained and 4800 ESTs were sequenced, giving rise to 2479 high quality ESTs representing an unigene set of 1502 sequences. This set was compared with ESTs represented in public databases using the programs BLASTN and BLASTX, and its members were classified according to putative function using the catalog in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Some 33% of sequences failed to align with existing plant ESTs and therefore represent putative novel genes. The libraries show a low level of redundancy and, on average, 50% of the present ESTs have not been previously reported for sunflower. Several potentially interesting genes were identified, based on their homology with genes involved in animal zygotic division or plant embryogenesis. We also identified two ESTs that show significantly different levels of expression under embryogenic and non-embryogenic conditions. The libraries described here represent an original and valuable resource for the discovery of yet unknown genes putatively involved in dicot embryogenesis and improving our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in polarity acquisition by plant embryos.

  11. Gene identification and analysis of transcripts differentially regulated in fracture healing by EST sequencing in the domestic sheep.

    PubMed

    Hecht, Jochen; Kuhl, Heiner; Haas, Stefan A; Bauer, Sebastian; Poustka, Albert J; Lienau, Jasmin; Schell, Hanna; Stiege, Asita C; Seitz, Volkhard; Reinhardt, Richard; Duda, Georg N; Mundlos, Stefan; Robinson, Peter N

    2006-07-05

    The sheep is an important model animal for testing novel fracture treatments and other medical applications. Despite these medical uses and the well known economic and cultural importance of the sheep, relatively little research has been performed into sheep genetics, and DNA sequences are available for only a small number of sheep genes. In this work we have sequenced over 47 thousand expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from libraries developed from healing bone in a sheep model of fracture healing. These ESTs were clustered with the previously available 10 thousand sheep ESTs to a total of 19087 contigs with an average length of 603 nucleotides. We used the newly identified sequences to develop RT-PCR assays for 78 sheep genes and measured differential expression during the course of fracture healing between days 7 and 42 postfracture. All genes showed significant shifts at one or more time points. 23 of the genes were differentially expressed between postfracture days 7 and 10, which could reflect an important role for these genes for the initiation of osteogenesis. The sequences we have identified in this work are a valuable resource for future studies on musculoskeletal healing and regeneration using sheep and represent an important head-start for genomic sequencing projects for Ovis aries, with partial or complete sequences being made available for over 5,800 previously unsequenced sheep genes.

  12. Functional molecular markers (EST-SSR) in the full-sib reciprocal recurrent selection program of maize (Zea mays L.).

    PubMed

    Galvão, K S C; Ramos, H C C; Santos, P H A D; Entringer, G C; Vettorazzi, J C F; Pereira, M G

    2015-07-03

    This study aimed to improve grain yield in the full-sib reciprocal recurrent selection program of maize from the North Fluminense State University. In the current phase of the program, the goal is to maintain, or even increase, the genetic variability within and among populations, in order to increase heterosis of the 13th cycle of reciprocal recurrent selection. Microsatellite expressed sequence tags (EST-SSRs) were used as a tool to assist the maximization step of genetic variability, targeting the functional genome. Eighty S1 progenies of the 13th recur-rent selection cycle, 40 from each population (CIMMYT and Piranão), were analyzed using 20 EST-SSR loci. Genetic diversity, observed heterozygosity, information content of polymorphism, and inbreeding co-efficient were estimated. Subsequently, analysis of genetic dissimilarity, molecular variance, and a graphical dispersion of genotypes were conducted. The number of alleles in the CIMMYT population ranged from 1 to 6, while in the Piranão population the range was from 2 to 8, with a mean of 3.65 and 4.35, respectively. As evidenced by the number of alleles, the Shannon index showed greater diversity for the Piranão population (1.04) in relation to the CIMMYT population (0.89). The genic SSR markers were effective in clustering genotypes into their respective populations before selection and an increase in the variation between populations after selection was observed. The results indicate that the study populations have expressive genetic diversity, which cor-responds to the functional genome, indicating that this strategy may contribute to genetic gain, especially in association with the grain yield of future hybrids.

  13. Revealing the missing expressed genes beyond the human reference genome by RNA-Seq.

    PubMed

    Chen, Geng; Li, Ruiyuan; Shi, Leming; Qi, Junyi; Hu, Pengzhan; Luo, Jian; Liu, Mingyao; Shi, Tieliu

    2011-12-02

    The complete and accurate human reference genome is important for functional genomics researches. Therefore, the incomplete reference genome and individual specific sequences have significant effects on various studies. we used two RNA-Seq datasets from human brain tissues and 10 mixed cell lines to investigate the completeness of human reference genome. First, we demonstrated that in previously identified ~5 Mb Asian and ~5 Mb African novel sequences that are absent from the human reference genome of NCBI build 36, ~211 kb and ~201 kb of them could be transcribed, respectively. Our results suggest that many of those transcribed regions are not specific to Asian and African, but also present in Caucasian. Then, we found that the expressions of 104 RefSeq genes that are unalignable to NCBI build 37 in brain and cell lines are higher than 0.1 RPKM. 55 of them are conserved across human, chimpanzee and macaque, suggesting that there are still a significant number of functional human genes absent from the human reference genome. Moreover, we identified hundreds of novel transcript contigs that cannot be aligned to NCBI build 37, RefSeq genes and EST sequences. Some of those novel transcript contigs are also conserved among human, chimpanzee and macaque. By positioning those contigs onto the human genome, we identified several large deletions in the reference genome. Several conserved novel transcript contigs were further validated by RT-PCR. Our findings demonstrate that a significant number of genes are still absent from the incomplete human reference genome, highlighting the importance of further refining the human reference genome and curating those missing genes. Our study also shows the importance of de novo transcriptome assembly. The comparative approach between reference genome and other related human genomes based on the transcriptome provides an alternative way to refine the human reference genome.

  14. Adaptive trade-offs in juvenile salmonid metabolism associated with habitat partitioning between coho salmon and steelhead trout in coastal streams.

    PubMed

    Van Leeuwen, Travis E; Rosenfeld, Jordan S; Richards, Jeffrey G

    2011-09-01

    1. Adaptive trade-offs are fundamental to the evolution of diversity and the coexistence of similar taxa and occur when complimentary combinations of traits maximize efficiency of resource exploitation or survival at different points on environmental gradients. 2. Standard metabolic rate (SMR) is a key physiological trait that reflects adaptations to baseline metabolic performance, whereas active metabolism reflects adaptations to variable metabolic output associated with performance related to foraging, predator avoidance, aggressive interactions or migratory movements. Benefits of high SMR and active metabolism may change along a resource (productivity) gradient, indicating that a trade-off exists among active metabolism, resting metabolism and energy intake. 3. We measured and compared SMR, maximal metabolic rate (MMR), aerobic scope (AS), swim performance (UCrit) and growth of juvenile hatchery and wild steelhead and coho salmon held on high- and low-food rations in order to better understand the potential significance of variation in SMR to growth, differentiation between species, and patterns of habitat use along a productivity gradient. 4. We found that differences in SMR, MMR, AS, swim performance and growth rate between steelhead trout and coho salmon were reduced in hatchery-reared fish compared with wild fish. Wild steelhead had a higher MMR, AS, swim performance and growth rate than wild coho, but adaptations between species do not appear to involve differences in SMR or to trade-off increased growth rate against lower swim performance, as commonly observed for high-growth strains. Instead, we hypothesize that wild steelhead may be trading off higher growth rate for lower food consumption efficiency, similar to strategies adopted by anadromous vs. resident brook trout and Atlantic salmon vs. brook trout. This highlights potential differences in food consumption and digestion strategies as cryptic adaptations ecologically differentiating salmonid species

  15. Changes in Wisconsin's Lake Michigan salmonid sport fishery, 1969-1985

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, Michael J.; Schultz, Paul T.; Lasee, Becky A.

    1990-01-01

    The modern sport fishery for salmonids in Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan was begun during 1963-1969 with the stocking of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), brook trout (S. fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), coho salmon (O. kisutch), and chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). The fishery grew rapidly during 1969-1985 as angler effort increased 10-fold, catch rate doubled, and catch increased 20-fold. The stocking and catch became increasingly dominated by chinook salmon, with coho salmon and lake trout of secondary importance and brown, rainbow, and brook trout of least importance. Trolling dominated the fishery, particularly by launched-boat anglers and, more recently, by moored-boat anglers. Charter boat trolling grew the most continuously and had the highest catch rates. The catch by trollers was dominated by chinook and coho salmon and lake trout. Pier, stream, and shore anglers fished less overall, but had catch rates that were similar to launched-boat anglers. The catch by pier and shore anglers was spread among chinook and coho salmon, and lake, brown and rainbow trout. The catch by stream anglers was dominated by chinook salmon. The percentage of stocked fish that were subsequently caught (catch ratio) was highest for fingerling chinook salmon (12.9%). Yearling brook trout, brown trout, coho salmon, lake trout, and rainbow trout had intermediate catch ratios (5.1-9.8%). Fingerling brook trout, brown trout, and lake trout had the lowest catch ratios (2.5-3.5%). The catch ratio for rainbow trout dropped from 9.8 to 5.1% after stocking with a different strain (the Shasta strain). Fingerling rainbow trout produced the lowest returns (<0.5%). We derived stocking recommendations for each species and life stage based on these catch ratios, and catch objectives based on maintaining catch levels recorded during 1983-1985.

  16. Whole-genome sequencing for comparative genomics and de novo genome assembly.

    PubMed

    Benjak, Andrej; Sala, Claudia; Hartkoorn, Ruben C

    2015-01-01

    Next-generation sequencing technologies for whole-genome sequencing of mycobacteria are rapidly becoming an attractive alternative to more traditional sequencing methods. In particular this technology is proving useful for genome-wide identification of mutations in mycobacteria (comparative genomics) as well as for de novo assembly of whole genomes. Next-generation sequencing however generates a vast quantity of data that can only be transformed into a usable and comprehensible form using bioinformatics. Here we describe the methodology one would use to prepare libraries for whole-genome sequencing, and the basic bioinformatics to identify mutations in a genome following Illumina HiSeq or MiSeq sequencing, as well as de novo genome assembly following sequencing using Pacific Biosciences (PacBio).

  17. New gSSR and EST-SSR markers reveal high genetic diversity in the invasive plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. and can be transferred to other invasive Ambrosia species.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Lucie; Causse, Romain; Pernin, Fanny; Scalone, Romain; Bailly, Géraldine; Chauvel, Bruno; Délye, Christophe; Le Corre, Valérie

    2017-01-01

    Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., (common ragweed), is an annual invasive and highly troublesome plant species originating from North America that has become widespread across Europe. New sets of genomic and expressed sequence tag (EST) based simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers were developed in this species using three approaches. After validation, 13 genomic SSRs and 13 EST-SSRs were retained and used to characterize the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of Ambrosia artemisiifolia populations from the native (North America) and invasive (Europe) ranges of the species. Analysing the mating system based on maternal families did not reveal any departure from complete allogamy and excess homozygosity was mostly due the presence of null alleles. High genetic diversity and patterns of genetic structure in Europe suggest two main introduction events followed by secondary colonization events. Cross-species transferability of the newly developed markers to other invasive species of the Ambrosia genus was assessed. Sixty-five percent and 75% of markers, respectively, were transferable from A. artemisiifolia to Ambrosia psilostachya and Ambrosia tenuifolia. 40% were transferable to Ambrosia trifida, this latter species being seemingly more phylogenetically distantly related to A. artemisiifolia than the former two.

  18. EST sequencing and gene expression profiling of defence-related genes from Persea americana infected with Phytophthora cinnamomi

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Avocado (Persea americana) belongs to the Lauraceae family and is an important commercial fruit crop in over 50 countries. The most serious pathogen affecting avocado production is Phytophthora cinnamomi which causes Phytophthora root rot (PRR). Root pathogens such as P. cinnamomi and their interactions with hosts are poorly understood and despite the importance of both the avocado crop and the effect Phytophthora has on its cultivation, there is a lack of molecular knowledge underpinning our understanding of defence strategies against the pathogen. In order to initiate a better understanding of host-specific defence we have generated EST data using 454 pyrosequencing and profiled nine defence-related genes from Pc-infected avocado roots. Results 2.0 Mb of data was generated consisting of ~10,000 reads on a single lane of the GS FLX platform. Using the Newbler assembler 371 contigs were assembled, of which 367 are novel for Persea americana. Genes were classified according to Gene Ontology terms. In addition to identifying root-specific ESTs we were also able to identify and quantify the expression of nine defence-related genes that were differentially regulated in response to P. cinnamomi. Genes such as metallothionein, thaumatin and the pathogenesis related PsemI, mlo and profilin were found to be differentially regulated. Conclusions This is the first study in elucidating the avocado root transcriptome as well as identifying defence responses of avocado roots to the root pathogen P. cinnamomi. Our data is currently the only EST data that has been generated for avocado rootstocks, and the ESTs identified in this study have already been useful in identifying defence-related genes as well as providing gene information for other studies looking at processes such as ROS regulation as well as hypoxia in avocado roots. Our EST data will aid in the elucidation of the avocado transcriptome and identification of markers for improved rootstock breeding and

  19. EST sequencing and gene expression profiling of defence-related genes from Persea americana infected with Phytophthora cinnamomi.

    PubMed

    Mahomed, Waheed; Berg, Noëlani van den

    2011-11-23

    Avocado (Persea americana) belongs to the Lauraceae family and is an important commercial fruit crop in over 50 countries. The most serious pathogen affecting avocado production is Phytophthora cinnamomi which causes Phytophthora root rot (PRR). Root pathogens such as P. cinnamomi and their interactions with hosts are poorly understood and despite the importance of both the avocado crop and the effect Phytophthora has on its cultivation, there is a lack of molecular knowledge underpinning our understanding of defence strategies against the pathogen. In order to initiate a better understanding of host-specific defence we have generated EST data using 454 pyrosequencing and profiled nine defence-related genes from Pc-infected avocado roots. 2.0 Mb of data was generated consisting of ~10,000 reads on a single lane of the GS FLX platform. Using the Newbler assembler 371 contigs were assembled, of which 367 are novel for Persea americana. Genes were classified according to Gene Ontology terms. In addition to identifying root-specific ESTs we were also able to identify and quantify the expression of nine defence-related genes that were differentially regulated in response to P. cinnamomi. Genes such as metallothionein, thaumatin and the pathogenesis related PsemI, mlo and profilin were found to be differentially regulated. This is the first study in elucidating the avocado root transcriptome as well as identifying defence responses of avocado roots to the root pathogen P. cinnamomi. Our data is currently the only EST data that has been generated for avocado rootstocks, and the ESTs identified in this study have already been useful in identifying defence-related genes as well as providing gene information for other studies looking at processes such as ROS regulation as well as hypoxia in avocado roots. Our EST data will aid in the elucidation of the avocado transcriptome and identification of markers for improved rootstock breeding and screening. The characterization of

  20. Resistance of rainbow trout to Flavobacterium psychrophilum infection: integrating selective breeding and microbial genomics

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) is a frequent cause of elevated loss in juvenile salmonid fish and development of effective control strategies is a priority. At the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture (NCCCWA), we initiated a multidisciplinary program designed to better understan...

  1. Functional genomics of bio-energy plants and related patent activities.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Shu-Ye; Ramachandran, Srinivasan

    2013-04-01

    With dwindling fossil oil resources and increased economic growth of many developing countries due to globalization, energy driven from an alternative source such as bio-energy in a sustainable fashion is the need of the hour. However, production of energy from biological source is relatively expensive due to low starch and sugar contents of bioenergy plants leading to lower oil yield and reduced quality along with lower conversion efficiency of feedstock. In this context genetic improvement of bio-energy plants offers a viable solution. In this manuscript, we reviewed the current status of functional genomics studies and related patent activities in bio-energy plants. Currently, genomes of considerable bio-energy plants have been sequenced or are in progress and also large amount of expression sequence tags (EST) or cDNA sequences are available from them. These studies provide fundamental data for more reliable genome annotation and as a result, several genomes have been annotated in a genome-wide level. In addition to this effort, various mutagenesis tools have also been employed to develop mutant populations for characterization of genes that are involved in bioenergy quantitative traits. With the progress made on functional genomics of important bio-energy plants, more patents were filed with a significant number of them focusing on genes and DNA sequences which may involve in improvement of bio-energy traits including higher yield and quality of starch, sugar and oil. We also believe that these studies will lead to the generation of genetically altered plants with improved tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses.

  2. Exploiting proteomic data for genome annotation and gene model validation in Aspergillus niger.

    PubMed

    Wright, James C; Sugden, Deana; Francis-McIntyre, Sue; Riba-Garcia, Isabel; Gaskell, Simon J; Grigoriev, Igor V; Baker, Scott E; Beynon, Robert J; Hubbard, Simon J

    2009-02-04

    Proteomic data is a potentially rich, but arguably unexploited, data source for genome annotation. Peptide identifications from tandem mass spectrometry provide prima facie evidence for gene predictions and can discriminate over a set of candidate gene models. Here we apply this to the recently sequenced Aspergillus niger fungal genome from the Joint Genome Institutes (JGI) and another predicted protein set from another A.niger sequence. Tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) were acquired from 1d gel electrophoresis bands and searched against all available gene models using Average Peptide Scoring (APS) and reverse database searching to produce confident identifications at an acceptable false discovery rate (FDR). 405 identified peptide sequences were mapped to 214 different A.niger genomic loci to which 4093 predicted gene models clustered, 2872 of which contained the mapped peptides. Interestingly, 13 (6%) of these loci either had no preferred predicted gene model or the genome annotators' chosen "best" model for that genomic locus was not found to be the most parsimonious match to the identified peptides. The peptides identified also boosted confidence in predicted gene structures spanning 54 introns from different gene models. This work highlights the potential of integrating experimental proteomics data into genomic annotation pipelines much as expressed sequence tag (EST) data has been. A comparison of the published genome from another strain of A.niger sequenced by DSM showed that a number of the gene models or proteins with proteomics evidence did not occur in both genomes, further highlighting the utility of the method.

  3. Exploiting proteomic data for genome annotation and gene model validation in Aspergillus niger

    PubMed Central

    Wright, James C; Sugden, Deana; Francis-McIntyre, Sue; Riba-Garcia, Isabel; Gaskell, Simon J; Grigoriev, Igor V; Baker, Scott E; Beynon, Robert J; Hubbard, Simon J

    2009-01-01

    Background Proteomic data is a potentially rich, but arguably unexploited, data source for genome annotation. Peptide identifications from tandem mass spectrometry provide prima facie evidence for gene predictions and can discriminate over a set of candidate gene models. Here we apply this to the recently sequenced Aspergillus niger fungal genome from the Joint Genome Institutes (JGI) and another predicted protein set from another A.niger sequence. Tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) were acquired from 1d gel electrophoresis bands and searched against all available gene models using Average Peptide Scoring (APS) and reverse database searching to produce confident identifications at an acceptable false discovery rate (FDR). Results 405 identified peptide sequences were mapped to 214 different A.niger genomic loci to which 4093 predicted gene models clustered, 2872 of which contained the mapped peptides. Interestingly, 13 (6%) of these loci either had no preferred predicted gene model or the genome annotators' chosen "best" model for that genomic locus was not found to be the most parsimonious match to the identified peptides. The peptides identified also boosted confidence in predicted gene structures spanning 54 introns from different gene models. Conclusion This work highlights the potential of integrating experimental proteomics data into genomic annotation pipelines much as expressed sequence tag (EST) data has been. A comparison of the published genome from another strain of A.niger sequenced by DSM showed that a number of the gene models or proteins with proteomics evidence did not occur in both genomes, further highlighting the utility of the method. PMID:19193216

  4. Genomic analysis of carboxyl/cholinesterase genes in the silkworm Bombyx mori

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Carboxyl/cholinesterases (CCEs) have pivotal roles in dietary detoxification, pheromone or hormone degradation and neurodevelopment. The recent completion of genome projects in various insect species has led to the identification of multiple CCEs with unknown functions. Here, we analyzed the phylogeny, expression and genomic distribution of 69 putative CCEs in the silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Results A phylogenetic tree of CCEs in B. mori and other lepidopteran species was constructed. The expression pattern of each B. mori CCE was also investigated by a search of an expressed sequence tag (EST) database, and the relationship between phylogeny and expression was analyzed. A large number of B. mori CCEs were identified from a midgut EST library. CCEs expressed in the midgut formed a cluster in the phylogenetic tree that included not only B. mori genes but also those of other lepidopteran species. The silkworm, and possibly also other lepidopteran species, has a large number of CCEs, and this might be a consequence of the large cluster of midgut CCEs. Investigation of intron-exon organization in B. mori CCEs revealed that their positions and splicing site phases were strongly conserved. Several B. mori CCEs, including juvenile hormone esterase, not only showed clustering in the phylogenetic tree but were also closely located on silkworm chromosomes. We investigated the phylogeny and microsynteny of neuroligins in detail, among many CCEs. Interestingly, we found the evolution of this gene appeared not to be conserved between B. mori and other insect orders. Conclusions We analyzed 69 putative CCEs from B. mori. Comparison of these CCEs with other lepidopteran CCEs indicated that they had conserved expression and function in this insect order. The analyses showed that CCEs were unevenly distributed across the genome of B. mori and suggested that neuroligins may have a distinct evolutionary history from other insect order. It is possible

  5. The Pinus taeda genome is characterized by diverse and highly diverged repetitive sequences

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background In today's age of genomic discovery, no attempt has been made to comprehensively sequence a gymnosperm genome. The largest genus in the coniferous family Pinaceae is Pinus, whose 110-120 species have extremely large genomes (c. 20-40 Gb, 2N = 24). The size and complexity of these genomes have prompted much speculation as to the feasibility of completing a conifer genome sequence. Conifer genomes are reputed to be highly repetitive, but there is little information available on the nature and identity of repetitive units in gymnosperms. The pines have extensive genetic resources, with approximately 329000 ESTs from eleven species and genetic maps in eight species, including a dense genetic map of the twelve linkage groups in Pinus taeda. Results We present here the Sanger sequence and annotation of ten P. taeda BAC clones and Genome Analyzer II whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequences representing 7.5% of the genome. Computational annotation of ten BACs predicts three putative protein-coding genes and at least fifteen likely pseudogenes in nearly one megabase of sequence. We found three conifer-specific LTR retroelements in the BACs, and tentatively identified at least 15 others based on evidence from the distantly related angiosperms. Alignment of WGS sequences to the BACs indicates that 80% of BAC sequences have similar copies (≥ 75% nucleotide identity) elsewhere in the genome, but only 23% have identical copies (99% identity). The three most common repetitive elements in the genome were identified and, when combined, represent less than 5% of the genome. Conclusions This study indicates that the majority of repeats in the P. taeda genome are 'novel' and will therefore require additional BAC or genomic sequencing for accurate characterization. The pine genome contains a very large number of diverged and probably defunct repetitive elements. This study also provides new evidence that sequencing a pine genome using a WGS approach is a feasible goal. PMID

  6. Efficiency of Portable Antennas for Detecting Passive Integrated Transponder Tags in Stream-Dwelling Salmonids

    PubMed Central

    Moyer, Katherine R.

    2016-01-01

    Portable antennas have become an increasingly common technique for tracking fish marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. We used logistic regression to evaluate how species, fish length, and physical habitat characteristics influence portable antenna detection efficiency in stream-dwelling brown trout (Salmo trutta), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), and redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii) marked with 12-mm PIT tags. We redetected 56% (20/36) of brown trout, 34% (68/202) of bull trout, and 33% (20/61) of redband trout after a recovery period of 21 to 46 hours. Models indicate support for length and species and minor support for percent boulder, large woody debris, and percent cobble as parameters important for describing variation in detection efficiency, although 95% confidence intervals for estimates were large. The odds of detecting brown trout (1.5 ± 2.2 [mean ± SE]) are approximately four times as high as bull trout (0.4 ± 1.6) or redband trout (0.3 ± 1.8) and species-specific differences may be related to length. Our reported detection efficiency for brown trout falls within the range of other studies, but is the first reported for bull trout and redband trout. Portable antennas may be a relatively unbiased way of redetecting varying sizes of all three salmonid species. PMID:26901317

  7. Efficiency of portable antennas for detecting passive integrated transponder tags in stream-dwelling salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Banish, Nolan P.; Burdick, Summer M.; Moyer, Katherine R.

    2016-01-01

    Portable antennas have become an increasingly common technique for tracking fish marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. We used logistic regression to evaluate how species, fish length, and physical habitat characteristics influence portable antenna detection efficiency in stream-dwelling brown trout (Salmo trutta), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), and redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii) marked with 12-mm PIT tags. We redetected 56% (20/36) of brown trout, 34% (68/202) of bull trout, and 33% (20/61) of redband trout after a recovery period of 21 to 46 hours. Models indicate support for length and species and minor support for percent boulder, large woody debris, and percent cobble as parameters important for describing variation in detection efficiency, although 95% confidence intervals for estimates were large. The odds of detecting brown trout (1.5 ± 2.2 [mean ± SE]) are approximately four times as high as bull trout (0.4 ± 1.6) or redband trout (0.3 ± 1.8) and species-specific differences may be related to length. Our reported detection efficiency for brown trout falls within the range of other studies, but is the first reported for bull trout and redband trout. Portable antennas may be a relatively unbiased way of redetecting varying sizes of all three salmonid species.

  8. Fine-scale foraging movements by fish-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca) relate to the vertical distributions and escape responses of salmonid prey (Oncorhynchus spp.).

    PubMed

    Wright, Brianna M; Ford, John K B; Ellis, Graeme M; Deecke, Volker B; Shapiro, Ari Daniel; Battaile, Brian C; Trites, Andrew W

    2017-01-01

    We sought to quantitatively describe the fine-scale foraging behavior of northern resident killer whales ( Orcinus orca ), a population of fish-eating killer whales that feeds almost exclusively on Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.). To reconstruct the underwater movements of these specialist predators, we deployed 34 biologging Dtags on 32 individuals and collected high-resolution, three-dimensional accelerometry and acoustic data. We used the resulting dive paths to compare killer whale foraging behavior to the distributions of different salmonid prey species. Understanding the foraging movements of these threatened predators is important from a conservation standpoint, since prey availability has been identified as a limiting factor in their population dynamics and recovery. Three-dimensional dive tracks indicated that foraging ( N  = 701) and non-foraging dives ( N  = 10,618) were kinematically distinct (Wilks' lambda: λ 16  = 0.321, P  < 0.001). While foraging, killer whales dove deeper, remained submerged longer, swam faster, increased their dive path tortuosity, and rolled their bodies to a greater extent than during other activities. Maximum foraging dive depths reflected the deeper vertical distribution of Chinook (compared to other salmonids) and the tendency of Pacific salmon to evade predators by diving steeply. Kinematic characteristics of prey pursuit by resident killer whales also revealed several other escape strategies employed by salmon attempting to avoid predation, including increased swimming speeds and evasive maneuvering. High-resolution dive tracks reconstructed using data collected by multi-sensor accelerometer tags found that movements by resident killer whales relate significantly to the vertical distributions and escape responses of their primary prey, Pacific salmon.

  9. Zaba: a novel miniature transposable element present in genomes of legume plants.

    PubMed

    Macas, J; Neumann, P; Pozárková, D

    2003-08-01

    A novel family of miniature transposable elements, named Zaba, was identified in pea (Pisum sativum) and subsequently also in other legume species using computer analysis of their DNA sequences. Zaba elements are 141-190 bp long, generate 10-bp target site duplications, and their terminal inverted repeats make up most of the sequence. Zaba elements thus resemble class 3 foldback transposons. The elements are only moderately repetitive in pea (tens to hundreds copies per haploid genome), but they are present in up to thousands of copies in the genomes of several Medicago and Vicia species. More detailed analysis of the elements from pea, including isolation of new sequences from a genomic library, revealed that a fraction of these elements are truncated, and that their last transposition probably did not occur recently. A search for Zaba sequences in EST databases showed that at least some elements are transcribed, most probably due to their association with genic regions.

  10. Citrus sinensis annotation project (CAP): a comprehensive database for sweet orange genome.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jia; Chen, Dijun; Lei, Yang; Chang, Ji-Wei; Hao, Bao-Hai; Xing, Feng; Li, Sen; Xu, Qiang; Deng, Xiu-Xin; Chen, Ling-Ling

    2014-01-01

    Citrus is one of the most important and widely grown fruit crop with global production ranking firstly among all the fruit crops in the world. Sweet orange accounts for more than half of the Citrus production both in fresh fruit and processed juice. We have sequenced the draft genome of a double-haploid sweet orange (C. sinensis cv. Valencia), and constructed the Citrus sinensis annotation project (CAP) to store and visualize the sequenced genomic and transcriptome data. CAP provides GBrowse-based organization of sweet orange genomic data, which integrates ab initio gene prediction, EST, RNA-seq and RNA-paired end tag (RNA-PET) evidence-based gene annotation. Furthermore, we provide a user-friendly web interface to show the predicted protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and metabolic pathways in sweet orange. CAP provides comprehensive information beneficial to the researchers of sweet orange and other woody plants, which is freely available at http://citrus.hzau.edu.cn/.

  11. An ancient genome duplication contributed to the abundance of metabolic genes in the moss Physcomitrella patens

    PubMed Central

    Rensing, Stefan A; Ick, Julia; Fawcett, Jeffrey A; Lang, Daniel; Zimmer, Andreas; Van de Peer, Yves; Reski, Ralf

    2007-01-01

    Background: Analyses of complete genomes and large collections of gene transcripts have shown that most, if not all seed plants have undergone one or more genome duplications in their evolutionary past. Results: In this study, based on a large collection of EST sequences, we provide evidence that the haploid moss Physcomitrella patens is a paleopolyploid as well. Based on the construction of linearized phylogenetic trees we infer the genome duplication to have occurred between 30 and 60 million years ago. Gene Ontology and pathway association of the duplicated genes in P. patens reveal different biases of gene retention compared with seed plants. Conclusion: Metabolic genes seem to have been retained in excess following the genome duplication in P. patens. This might, at least partly, explain the versatility of metabolism, as described for P. patens and other mosses, in comparison to other land plants. PMID:17683536

  12. Ensembl Genomes 2016: more genomes, more complexity

    PubMed Central

    Kersey, Paul Julian; Allen, James E.; Armean, Irina; Boddu, Sanjay; Bolt, Bruce J.; Carvalho-Silva, Denise; Christensen, Mikkel; Davis, Paul; Falin, Lee J.; Grabmueller, Christoph; Humphrey, Jay; Kerhornou, Arnaud; Khobova, Julia; Aranganathan, Naveen K.; Langridge, Nicholas; Lowy, Ernesto; McDowall, Mark D.; Maheswari, Uma; Nuhn, Michael; Ong, Chuang Kee; Overduin, Bert; Paulini, Michael; Pedro, Helder; Perry, Emily; Spudich, Giulietta; Tapanari, Electra; Walts, Brandon; Williams, Gareth; Tello–Ruiz, Marcela; Stein, Joshua; Wei, Sharon; Ware, Doreen; Bolser, Daniel M.; Howe, Kevin L.; Kulesha, Eugene; Lawson, Daniel; Maslen, Gareth; Staines, Daniel M.

    2016-01-01

    Ensembl Genomes (http://www.ensemblgenomes.org) is an integrating resource for genome-scale data from non-vertebrate species, complementing the resources for vertebrate genomics developed in the context of the Ensembl project (http://www.ensembl.org). Together, the two resources provide a consistent set of programmatic and interactive interfaces to a rich range of data including reference sequence, gene models, transcriptional data, genetic variation and comparative analysis. This paper provides an update to the previous publications about the resource, with a focus on recent developments. These include the development of new analyses and views to represent polyploid genomes (of which bread wheat is the primary exemplar); and the continued up-scaling of the resource, which now includes over 23 000 bacterial genomes, 400 fungal genomes and 100 protist genomes, in addition to 55 genomes from invertebrate metazoa and 39 genomes from plants. This dramatic increase in the number of included genomes is one part of a broader effort to automate the integration of archival data (genome sequence, but also associated RNA sequence data and variant calls) within the context of reference genomes and make it available through the Ensembl user interfaces. PMID:26578574

  13. ESTree db: a Tool for Peach Functional Genomics

    PubMed Central

    Lazzari, Barbara; Caprera, Andrea; Vecchietti, Alberto; Stella, Alessandra; Milanesi, Luciano; Pozzi, Carlo

    2005-01-01

    Background The ESTree db represents a collection of Prunus persica expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) and is intended as a resource for peach functional genomics. A total of 6,155 successful EST sequences were obtained from four in-house prepared cDNA libraries from Prunus persica mesocarps at different developmental stages. Another 12,475 peach EST sequences were downloaded from public databases and added to the ESTree db. An automated pipeline was prepared to process EST sequences using public software integrated by in-house developed Perl scripts and data were collected in a MySQL database. A php-based web interface was developed to query the database. Results The ESTree db version as of April 2005 encompasses 18,630 sequences representing eight libraries. Contig assembly was performed with CAP3. Putative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection was performed with the AutoSNP program and a search engine was implemented to retrieve results. All the sequences and all the contig consensus sequences were annotated both with blastx against the GenBank nr db and with GOblet against the viridiplantae section of the Gene Ontology db. Links to NiceZyme (Expasy) and to the KEGG metabolic pathways were provided. A local BLAST utility is available. A text search utility allows querying and browsing the database. Statistics were provided on Gene Ontology occurrences to assign sequences to Gene Ontology categories. Conclusion The resulting database is a comprehensive resource of data and links related to peach EST sequences. The Sequence Report and Contig Report pages work as the web interface core structures, giving quick access to data related to each sequence/contig. PMID:16351742

  14. ESTree db: a tool for peach functional genomics.

    PubMed

    Lazzari, Barbara; Caprera, Andrea; Vecchietti, Alberto; Stella, Alessandra; Milanesi, Luciano; Pozzi, Carlo

    2005-12-01

    The ESTree db http://www.itb.cnr.it/estree/ represents a collection of Prunus persica expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) and is intended as a resource for peach functional genomics. A total of 6,155 successful EST sequences were obtained from four in-house prepared cDNA libraries from Prunus persica mesocarps at different developmental stages. Another 12,475 peach EST sequences were downloaded from public databases and added to the ESTree db. An automated pipeline was prepared to process EST sequences using public software integrated by in-house developed Perl scripts and data were collected in a MySQL database. A php-based web interface was developed to query the database. The ESTree db version as of April 2005 encompasses 18,630 sequences representing eight libraries. Contig assembly was performed with CAP3. Putative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection was performed with the AutoSNP program and a search engine was implemented to retrieve results. All the sequences and all the contig consensus sequences were annotated both with blastx against the GenBank nr db and with GOblet against the viridiplantae section of the Gene Ontology db. Links to NiceZyme (Expasy) and to the KEGG metabolic pathways were provided. A local BLAST utility is available. A text search utility allows querying and browsing the database. Statistics were provided on Gene Ontology occurrences to assign sequences to Gene Ontology categories. The resulting database is a comprehensive resource of data and links related to peach EST sequences. The Sequence Report and Contig Report pages work as the web interface core structures, giving quick access to data related to each sequence/contig.

  15. Ensembl Genomes 2016: more genomes, more complexity.

    PubMed

    Kersey, Paul Julian; Allen, James E; Armean, Irina; Boddu, Sanjay; Bolt, Bruce J; Carvalho-Silva, Denise; Christensen, Mikkel; Davis, Paul; Falin, Lee J; Grabmueller, Christoph; Humphrey, Jay; Kerhornou, Arnaud; Khobova, Julia; Aranganathan, Naveen K; Langridge, Nicholas; Lowy, Ernesto; McDowall, Mark D; Maheswari, Uma; Nuhn, Michael; Ong, Chuang Kee; Overduin, Bert; Paulini, Michael; Pedro, Helder; Perry, Emily; Spudich, Giulietta; Tapanari, Electra; Walts, Brandon; Williams, Gareth; Tello-Ruiz, Marcela; Stein, Joshua; Wei, Sharon; Ware, Doreen; Bolser, Daniel M; Howe, Kevin L; Kulesha, Eugene; Lawson, Daniel; Maslen, Gareth; Staines, Daniel M

    2016-01-04

    Ensembl Genomes (http://www.ensemblgenomes.org) is an integrating resource for genome-scale data from non-vertebrate species, complementing the resources for vertebrate genomics developed in the context of the Ensembl project (http://www.ensembl.org). Together, the two resources provide a consistent set of programmatic and interactive interfaces to a rich range of data including reference sequence, gene models, transcriptional data, genetic variation and comparative analysis. This paper provides an update to the previous publications about the resource, with a focus on recent developments. These include the development of new analyses and views to represent polyploid genomes (of which bread wheat is the primary exemplar); and the continued up-scaling of the resource, which now includes over 23 000 bacterial genomes, 400 fungal genomes and 100 protist genomes, in addition to 55 genomes from invertebrate metazoa and 39 genomes from plants. This dramatic increase in the number of included genomes is one part of a broader effort to automate the integration of archival data (genome sequence, but also associated RNA sequence data and variant calls) within the context of reference genomes and make it available through the Ensembl user interfaces. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  16. A standard operating procedure for the surgical implantation of transmitters in juvenile salmonids

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Liedtke, T.L.; Beeman, J.W.; Gee, L.P.

    2012-01-01

    Biotelemetry is a useful tool to monitor the movements of animals and is widely applied in fisheries research. Radio or acoustic technology can be used, depending on the study design and the environmental conditions in the study area. A broad definition of telemetry also includes the use of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, either separately or with a radio or acoustic transmitter. To use telemetry, fish must be equipped with a transmitter. Although there are several attachment procedures available, surgical implantation of transmitters in the abdominal cavity is recognized as the best technique for long-term telemetry studies in general (Stasko and Pincock, 1977; Winter, 1996; Jepsen, 2003), and specifically for juvenile salmonids, Oncorhynchus spp. (Adams and others, 1998a, 1998b; Martinelli and others, 1998; Hall and others, 2009). Studies that use telemetry assume that the processes by which the animals are captured, handled, and tagged, as well as the act of carrying the transmitter, will have minimal effect on their behavior and performance. This assumption, commonly stated as a lack of transmitter effects, must be valid if telemetry studies are to describe accurately the movements and behavior of an entire population of interest, rather than the subset of that population that carries transmitters. This document describes a standard operating procedure (SOP) for surgical implantation of radio or acoustic transmitters in juvenile salmonids. The procedures were developed from a broad base of published information, laboratory experiments, and practical experience in tagging thousands of fish for numerous studies of juvenile salmon movements near Columbia River and Snake River hydroelectric dams. Staff from the Western Fisheries Research Center's Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL) frequently have used telemetry studies to evaluate new structures or operations at hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin, and these evaluations typically

  17. First in-depth analysis of the novel Th2-type cytokines in salmonid fish reveals distinct patterns of expression and modulation but overlapping bioactivities

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Tiehui; Johansson, Petronella; Abós, Beatriz; Holt, Amy; Tafalla, Carolina; Jiang, Youshen; Wang, Alex; Xu, Qiaoqing; Qi, Zhitao; Huang, Wenshu; Costa, Maria M.; Diaz-Rosales, Patricia; Holland, Jason W.; Secombes, Christopher J.

    2016-01-01

    IL-4 and IL-13 are closely related canonical type-2 cytokines in mammals and have overlapping bioactivities via shared receptors. They are frequently activated together as part of the same immune response and are the signature cytokines produced by T-helper (Th)2 cells and type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), mediating immunity against extracellular pathogens. Little is known about the origin of type-2 responses, and whether they were an essential component of the early adaptive immune system that gave a fitness advantage by limiting collateral damage caused by metazoan parasites. Two evolutionary related type-2 cytokines, IL-4/13A and IL-4/13B, have been identified recently in several teleost fish that likely arose by duplication of an ancestral IL-4/13 gene as a consequence of a whole genome duplication event that occurred at the base of this lineage. However, studies of their comparative expression levels are largely missing and bioactivity analysis has been limited to IL-4/13A in zebrafish. Through interrogation of the recently released salmonid genomes, species in which an additional whole genome duplication event has occurred, four genomic IL-4/13 loci have been identified leading to the cloning of three active genes, IL-4/13A, IL-4/13B1 and IL-4/13B2, in both rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon. Comparative expression analysis by real-time PCR in rainbow trout revealed that the IL-4/13A expression is broad and high constitutively but less responsive to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and pathogen challenge. In contrast, the expression of IL-4/13B1 and IL-4/13B2 is low constitutively but is highly induced by viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSH) infection and during proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in vivo, and by formalin-killed bacteria, PAMPs, the T cell mitogen PHA, and the T-cell cytokines IL-2 and IL-21 in vitro. Moreover, bioactive recombinant cytokines of both IL-4/13A and B were produced and found to have shared but also distinct

  18. Analysis of expressed sequence tags from Actinidia: applications of a cross species EST database for gene discovery in the areas of flavor, health, color and ripening

    PubMed Central

    Crowhurst, Ross N; Gleave, Andrew P; MacRae, Elspeth A; Ampomah-Dwamena, Charles; Atkinson, Ross G; Beuning, Lesley L; Bulley, Sean M; Chagne, David; Marsh, Ken B; Matich, Adam J; Montefiori, Mirco; Newcomb, Richard D; Schaffer, Robert J; Usadel, Björn; Allan, Andrew C; Boldingh, Helen L; Bowen, Judith H; Davy, Marcus W; Eckloff, Rheinhart; Ferguson, A Ross; Fraser, Lena G; Gera, Emma; Hellens, Roger P; Janssen, Bart J; Klages, Karin; Lo, Kim R; MacDiarmid, Robin M; Nain, Bhawana; McNeilage, Mark A; Rassam, Maysoon; Richardson, Annette C; Rikkerink, Erik HA; Ross, Gavin S; Schröder, Roswitha; Snowden, Kimberley C; Souleyre, Edwige JF; Templeton, Matt D; Walton, Eric F; Wang, Daisy; Wang, Mindy Y; Wang, Yanming Y; Wood, Marion; Wu, Rongmei; Yauk, Yar-Khing; Laing, William A

    2008-01-01

    Background Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) are a relatively new, but economically important crop grown in many different parts of the world. Commercial success is driven by the development of new cultivars with novel consumer traits including flavor, appearance, healthful components and convenience. To increase our understanding of the genetic diversity and gene-based control of these key traits in Actinidia, we have produced a collection of 132,577 expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Results The ESTs were derived mainly from four Actinidia species (A. chinensis, A. deliciosa, A. arguta and A. eriantha) and fell into 41,858 non redundant clusters (18,070 tentative consensus sequences and 23,788 EST singletons). Analysis of flavor and fragrance-related gene families (acyltransferases and carboxylesterases) and pathways (terpenoid biosynthesis) is presented in comparison with a chemical analysis of the compounds present in Actinidia including esters, acids, alcohols and terpenes. ESTs are identified for most genes in color pathways controlling chlorophyll degradation and carotenoid biosynthesis. In the health area, data are presented on the ESTs involved in ascorbic acid and quinic acid biosynthesis showing not only that genes for many of the steps in these pathways are represented in the database, but that genes encoding some critical steps are absent. In the convenience area, genes related to different stages of fruit softening are identified. Conclusion This large EST resource will allow researchers to undertake the tremendous challenge of understanding the molecular basis of genetic diversity in the Actinidia genus as well as provide an EST resource for comparative fruit genomics. The various bioinformatics analyses we have undertaken demonstrates the extent of coverage of ESTs for genes encoding different biochemical pathways in Actinidia. PMID:18655731

  19. Enabling functional genomics with genome engineering

    PubMed Central

    Hilton, Isaac B.; Gersbach, Charles A.

    2015-01-01

    Advances in genome engineering technologies have made the precise control over genome sequence and regulation possible across a variety of disciplines. These tools can expand our understanding of fundamental biological processes and create new opportunities for therapeutic designs. The rapid evolution of these methods has also catalyzed a new era of genomics that includes multiple approaches to functionally characterize and manipulate the regulation of genomic information. Here, we review the recent advances of the most widely adopted genome engineering platforms and their application to functional genomics. This includes engineered zinc finger proteins, TALEs/TALENs, and the CRISPR/Cas9 system as nucleases for genome editing, transcription factors for epigenome editing, and other emerging applications. We also present current and potential future applications of these tools, as well as their current limitations and areas for future advances. PMID:26430154

  20. phiGENOME: an integrative navigation throughout bacteriophage genomes.

    PubMed

    Stano, Matej; Klucar, Lubos

    2011-11-01

    phiGENOME is a web-based genome browser generating dynamic and interactive graphical representation of phage genomes stored in the phiSITE, database of gene regulation in bacteriophages. phiGENOME is an integral part of the phiSITE web portal (http://www.phisite.org/phigenome) and it was optimised for visualisation of phage genomes with the emphasis on the gene regulatory elements. phiGENOME consists of three components: (i) genome map viewer built using Adobe Flash technology, providing dynamic and interactive graphical display of phage genomes; (ii) sequence browser based on precisely formatted HTML tags, providing detailed exploration of genome features on the sequence level and (iii) regulation illustrator, based on Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) and designed for graphical representation of gene regulations. Bringing 542 complete genome sequences accompanied with their rich annotations and references, makes phiGENOME a unique information resource in the field of phage genomics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.