HETEROMORPHIC SYSTEMS AND GENOMIC STRUCTURE RELATED TO SEX DETERMINATION IN FISHES USING Megaleporinus macrocephalus AS MODEL

• Grant number: 17/11661-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2018
• End date: July 18, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Fausto Foresti
• Grantee: Ricardo Utsunomia
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The mechanisms of genetic sex determination (SD) in vertebrates are distinct and diversified. In mammals, the SRY gene is allocated on the Y chromosome and is responsible for sex determination, while in birds, the DMRT1 is the main SD factor, but it is located on the Z chromosome, not in the W, as expected. In fishes, at least five different master sex genes were identified In fish, at least five master genes have been identified and involved five different species models. In addition, multiple regions distributed in the autosomes may also be responsible for SD in some species. Only 6% of identified species of Neotropical fishes have shown differentiated sex chromosomes, and little is yet known about genes or SD regions in the species of this group of organisms. In this sense, the species Megaleporinus microcephalus (piauçu) might be considered an interesting model for SD studies, since it displays a notable heteromorphic sex chromosome system and its handling is viable; also highlighting it important economic value in aquaculture. Thus, the objectives of the present study involve the massive identification and characterization of molecular markers to construct a high density genetic map for the piauçu, which will establish the necessary basis for association studies and allowing the mapping of the responsible loci for SD in this species. Therefore, our activities will focus on the investigation of genetic factors of SD in order to better understand the mechanisms involved in the origin and evolution of the SD process in this fish group and also about the role of sex chromosomes in SD

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

UTSUNOMIA, RICARDO; ZERBINATO DE ANDRADE SILVA, DUILIO MAZZONI; RUIZ-RUANO, FRANCISCO J.; GOMES GOES, CAIO AUGUSTO; MELO, SILVANA; ERES RAMOS, LUCAS P.; OLIVEIRA, CLAUDIO; PORTO-FORESTI, FABIO; FORESTI, FAUSTO; ERUO HASHIMOTO, DIOGO T.. Satellitome landscape analysis of Megaleporinus macrocephalus (Teleostei, Anostomidae) reveals intense accumulation of satellite sequences on the heteromorphic sex chromosome. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 9, APR 10 2019. (17/11661-9, 14/26508-3)