Abstract
Clownfishes are an excellent model system for investigating the genetic mechanism governing hermaphroditism and socially-controlled sex change in their natural environment because they are broadly distributed and strongly site-attached. Genomic tools, such as genetic linkage maps, allow fine-mapping of loci involved in molecular pathways underlying these reproductive processes. In this study, a high-density genetic map of Amphiprion bicinctus was constructed with 3146 RAD markers in a full-sib family organized in 24 robust linkage groups which correspond to the haploid chromosome number of the species. The length of the map was 4294.71 cM, with an average marker interval of 1.38 cM. The clownfish linkage map showed various levels of conserved synteny and collinearity with the genomes of Asian and European seabass, Nile tilapia and stickleback. The map provided a platform to investigate the genomic position of genes with differential expression during sex change in A. bicinctus. This study aims to bridge the gap of genome-scale information for this iconic group of species to facilitate the study of the main gene regulatory networks governing social sex change and gonadal restructuring in protandrous hermaphrodites.
Highlights
The great majority of non-model fish species lack genome-scale data and this is especially true for non-model reef fish species, including clownfishes
The constructed linkage map consisted of over 3000 polymorphic loci in the unexplored genome of the Red Sea clownfish, organized in 24 linkage groups matching the expected number of chromosomes given the haploid genome of karyotyped Amphiprion species
The generated clownfish linkage map was compared with four reference teleost genomes to analyze the synteny and collinearity, based on presumed homologous RAD loci
Summary
The great majority of non-model fish species lack genome-scale data and this is especially true for non-model reef fish species, including clownfishes. Clownfishes (subfamily Amphiprioninae) are extensively distributed in tropical waters, where they inhabit shallow depths across the Red Sea, the Indian and the western Pacific Oceans[16] They live in social assemblages as pairs or social groups consisting of a dominant female, always the largest in size, surrounded by a male and a variable number of juveniles of smaller size[17,18]. Amphiprion species constitute a powerful system for investigating the genetic mechanism governing hermaphroditism and socially-controlled sex change in their natural environment since they are strongly site-attached They are obligate symbionts of sea anemones and rarely stray farther than a few meters away from these microhabitats during their entire adult life[28,29]. The parents tend these clutches of eggs until the embryos hatch about one week after fertilization, with well-developed skeletal, organ and sensory systems[33]
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