Characterization of the pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) skeletal muscle transcriptome

Abstract

Pacu fish (Piaractus mesopotamicus) has very good husbandry such as rapid growth, parameter which is directly related with increased skeletal muscles. Researchs involving muscle genes characterization using molecular technologies have been performed in species of fish such as zebrafish, model that have the genome sequenced. In pacu fish, a specie that does not have the genome sequenced, this lack of genetic information makes it difficult to conduct researches aiming the identification of signaling pathways that regulate development, growth and maintenance of muscle phenotype. The use of Next-Generation Sequencing (454-pyrosequencing, Roche), enables to generate a transcriptome reference sequence for the study of global gene expression, identification of gene duplications (paralogs), and allow us for future sequencing transcriptome and genome of this specie and other phylogenetically related. The objectives of this study are: 1) to sequence and characterize the transcriptome in skeletal muscle of the pacu using 454-pyrosequencing approaches to produce a transcriptome reference sequence, 2) to determine the genes differentially expressed responsible for controlling red and white muscle phenotype, 3) to quantify (validate) the expression of relevant genes to the muscle phenotype using RT-qPCR. Ours results will enable a solid foundation for future studies on skeletal muscle in this important specie for Brazilian aquaculture in others experimental conditions. (AU)