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Abstract / Description of output
BACKGROUND: Megaleporinus macrocephalus (piauçu) is a Neotropical fish within Characoidei that presents a well-established heteromorphic ZZ/ZW sex determination system and thus constitutes a good model for studying W and Z chromosomes in fishes. We used PacBio reads and Hi-C to assemble a chromosome-level reference genome for M. macrocephalus. We generated family segregation information to construct a genetic map, pool sequencing of males and females to characterize its sex system, and RNA sequencing to highlight candidate genes of M. macrocephalus sex determination.
RESULTS: The reference genome of M. macrocephalus is 1,282,030,339 bp in length and has a contig and scaffold N50 of 5.0 Mb and 45.03 Mb, respectively. In the sex chromosome, based on patterns of recombination suppression, coverage, FST, and sex-specific SNPs, we distinguished a putative W-specific region that is highly differentiated, a region where Z and W still share some similarities and is undergoing degeneration, and the PAR. The sex chromosome gene repertoire includes genes from the TGF-β family (amhr2, bmp7) and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway (wnt4, wnt7a), some of which are differentially expressed.
CONCLUSIONS: The chromosome-level genome of piauçu exhibits high quality, establishing a valuable resource for advancing research within the group. Our discoveries offer insights into the evolutionary dynamics of Z and W sex chromosomes in fish, emphasizing ongoing degenerative processes and indicating complex interactions between Z and W sequences in specific genomic regions. Notably, amhr2 and bmp7 are potential candidate genes for sex determination in M. macrocephalus.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-19 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | GigaScience |
Volume | 13 |
Early online date | 26 Nov 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 26 Nov 2024 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- Animals
- Sex Chromosomes/genetics
- Male
- Female
- Sex Determination Processes/genetics
- Fishes/genetics
- Characiformes/genetics
- Genome
- Chromosome Mapping
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Identifying the genomic basis of complex traits in farmed animals
1/04/23 → 31/03/28
Project: Research