Investigating the Role of Genetic Variation in vgll3 and six6 in the
Domestication of Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata Linnaeus) and European
seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax Linnaeus)
Abstract
Gene function conservation is crucial in molecular ecology, especially
for key traits like growth and maturation in teleost fish. The vgll3 and
six6 genes are known to influence age-at-maturity in Atlantic salmon,
but their impact on other fish species is poorly understood. Here, we
investigated the association of vgll3 and six6 in the domestication of
gilthead seabream and European seabass, both undergoing selective
breeding for growth-related traits in the Mediterranean. We analysed two
different sets of samples using two different genotyping approaches. The
first dataset comprised farmed and wild populations from Greece,
genotyped for SNPs within the genomic range of the two genes
(“gene-level genotyping”). The second dataset examined 300k to 600k
SNPs located in the chromosomes of the two genes, derived from a
meta-analysis of a Pool-Seq experiment involving farmed and wild
populations distributed widely across the Mediterranean
(“chromosome-level genotyping”). The gene-level analysis revealed a
significant effect of domestication on both genes in each species. This
finding was partially supported by the chromosome-level analysis,
identifying highly differentiated regions associated with domestication
at varying distances from the candidate genes. Noteworthy genomic
features were found, such as a CpG island in gilthead seabream and novel
candidate genes in European seabream, warranting further investigation.
These findings support a putative role of vgll3 and six6 in the
maturation and growth of gilthead seabream and European seabass,
emphasizing the need for further research on their conserved function.