Satellitome analysis and Chromosome Painting in the color variants of S. formosus and in the other two Scleropages species (Teleostei, Osteoglossiformes)

Abstract

The student Gustavo A. Toma is developing his studies in our laboratory since November, 2018. Up to now, several S. formosus color variants were analyzed by conventional (Giemsa and C-banding) and molecular (chromosomal mapping of multigene families, CGH and WCP experiments) cytogenetic methods coupled with UCE species delimitation analysis, providing important and unprecedented data for the evolutionary relationships. Thus, considering the good progress of the project and the student's involvement in the experiments, we aim to deepen into multipronged and modern molecular cytogenomic approaches, including isolation and map of satellites using the technique of multicolor FISH (m-FISH) and further microdissection of specific target chromosomes to construct WCP probes. We will explore the differential evolutionary divergences between color variants of S. formosus and in the other two Scleropages species based on comparative chromosome mapping of satellite DNAs. Besides, after the chromosomal mapping of the whole satDNA library, we aim to identify and isolate specific chromosomes that carry a large accumulation of a specific satDNA. The experiments will be performed in the laboratory of Molekulare Zytogenetik (Universitätsklinikum Jena - Germany), headed by Prof. Dr. Thomas Liehr, researcher of global significance in chromosome microdissection and FISH. The data obtained will provide relevant data to estimate differential evolutionary parameters between representative color variants and between congeneric species, resulting from the geographic isolation that occurred over thousands of years. In addition, besides the expected scientific advances, this proposal will provide a unique opportunity for the scientific training of the student, by interacting with a renowned group of German research and learning new study methodologies currently employed in Dr. Liehr laboratory