Progress 10/01/11 to 09/30/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In our egg quality studies, we completed our analyses of data and publication of results of our characterization of the ovarian transcriptome of striped bass and our mapping of the striped bass genome using DNA microsatellite markers. We also completed our analyses of data from prior experiments on the relation of the ovarian transcriptome to egg quality, and developed a manuscript from the results that has been submitted to Science. Additionally, we conducted the first year of proposed experiments aimed at determining whether the ovarian transcriptome primarily represents transcripts stored in eggs (versus somatic tissues), discovering if transcript dysfunction begins in primary growth oocytes present years before spawning, and assessing if transcriptome profiles indicative of poor egg quality in farmed fish are also evident in poor quality eggs from wild spawners. Finally, by genotyping spawners from our prior experiments, we have verified that pedigree makes a negligible contribution to egg transcriptome profiles and quality, which points toward environmental influences being the root cause of the problem. The results of our research were reported to the scientific community and industry stakeholders at the annual meeting of the Striped bass Growers Association at Aquaculture America 2012: Bringing all Players to the Table (Feb. 29 - Mar. 2, Las Vegas, NV), at the annual North Carolina Development Conference (Feb. 9-11, New Bern, NC), at the special N.C. Research Foundations Conference Stewards of the Future: Research for Human Health and Global Sustainability (Apr. 17, Raleigh, NC), and at the annual meeting of the N.C. Agricultural Foundation (Mar. 3, 2012). They also were presented at a special invited seminar at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (Feb. 3, 2012; Charleston, SC), and were disseminated directly to the N.C. striped bass growers during the course of the research activities conducted near their farms. PARTICIPANTS: The Principal Investigator/Project Director (PD), Craig V. Sullivan, oversaw publication of manuscripts, managed project research, conducted spawning experiments and fish sampling, and disseminated research at scientific meetings and to industry stakeholders. Partner organizations included the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission - Inland Fisheries Division, which collected wild striped bass spawners for the project, and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, where analysis of the gene expression data was performed, and the Virginia Institute for Marine Science Aquaculture Genetics Laboratory where the fish genotyping was performed. Collaborators on the project included Dr. Robert W. Chapman at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, who conducted the analyses of microarray data using artificial intelligence. Training and professional development activities in the emerging research area of aquaculture genomics involved 3 Ph.D. graduate students (Valerie N. Williams, Scott A. Salger, and Justin Schilling),who assisted with the fish spawning and sampling work and one postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr. Benjamin J. Reading, who prepared samples for microarray studies or sequencing and executed some of the bioinformatics analyses. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences for the research include the Striped Bass Growers Association members, the U.S. aquaculture community, and the scientific community engaged in research on aquaculture species. Efforts at reaching these audience included presentations of the research findings and progress at the annual meeting of the Striped bass Growers Association at Aquaculture America 2012: Bringing all Players to the Table (Feb. 29 - Mar. 2, Las Vegas, NV), at the annual North Carolina Development Conference (Feb. 9-11, New Bern, NC), at the special N.C. Research Foundations Conference Stewards of the Future: Research for Human Health and Global Sustainability (Apr. 17, Raleigh, NC), and at the annual meeting of the N.C. Agricultural Foundation (Mar. 3, 2012). They also were presented at a special invited seminar at the Hollings Marine Laboratory (Feb. 3, 2012; Charleston, SC), and, as noted, were disseminated directly to the N.C. striped bass growers during the course of the research activities conducted near their farms. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Our publication of the ovarian transcriptome and linkage map of the striped bass genome creates valuable public resources that will underpin all future studies of functional genomics in the striped bass and its relatives and all studies of the striped bass genome. Verifying that pedigree makes a negligible contribution to egg quality in striped bass will allow researchers, including ourselves, to focus on potential environmental causes of the problem. Dissemination of our findings across a broad spectrum of scientific and industry forums informs the scientific community and industry stakeholders of our novel approaches to solving the egg quality problem, and engenders similar studies in other farmed fishes, opening the door to a new era of investigation. The project also served as a training opportunity for 3 Ph.D. graduate students and one postdoctoral Research Associate in the emerging research area of aquaculture genomics.
Publications
- Reading,B.J., Chapman, R.W., Schaff, J.E., Scholl, E.H., Opperman, C.H., and Sullivan, C.V. (2012). An ovary transcriptome for all maturational stages of the striped bass (Morone saxatilis), a highly advanced perciform fish. BMC Research Notes 5:111 doi:10.1186/1756-0500-5-111.
- Liu, S., Rexroad III, C.E., Couch, C.R., Cordes, J., Reece, K., and C.V. Sullivan (2012). A microsatellite linkage map of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) reveals conserved synteny with the threespined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Marine Biotechnology 14(2):237-244. doi: 10.1007/s10126-011-9407-2.
- Sullivan, C.V. (2012). Hybrid striped bass national breeding program: N.C. State University Activities. Annual Striped Bass Growers Association Industry Forum and Annual Meeting of the U.S. Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society Program and Abstract Book, Las Vegas, Nevada, February 29-March 2, 2012 (P86)
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