A pilot study to elucidate effects of artificial selection by size on the zebrafish (Danio rerio) fast skeletal muscle transcriptome.

In this study, we analysed the fast skeletal muscle of the zebrafish from selected lineages generated by Amaral and Johnston, 2012a, and investigated muscle fibre composition and used RNAseq to study the effects on fast skeletal muscle global gene expression, SV abundance and different retention of SNPs to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind muscle growth as a product of artificial selection.MethodsFish size selection.Animals from the large (L) and small (S) zebrafish were obtained from the lines previously generated by Amaral and Johnston, 2012a. Briefly, wild zebrafish were obtained from Mymensingh, Bangladesh and reared in 25 L glass tanks at 27 ± 0.3 °C, with a 12:12 photoperiod, in a UV sterilised fresh water recirculation system and fed with bloodworms to satiation once daily and thrice a day from a week before breeding. For each lineage, pre-separated males and females were introduced into a breeding tank in a 1 male to 2 female proportion, and eggs were collected the next day. Eggs were immediately cleaned with 10% (v/v) Hank's solution and maintained in glass tanks (1 L) under the same conditions as the recirculation system. After 7 days post fertilisation (dpf) the larvae were fed a combination of ZM-100 (Fish Food Ltd., Hampshire, UK) and microworms. 50% of the water was changed daily until 30dpf, where fish were transferred to the main recirculation system, and fed to satiation with a combination of ZM-200 (Fish Food Ltd., Hampshire, UK...
Source: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular and Integrative Physiology - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research