Domestication may affect the maternal mRNA profile in unfertilized eggs, potentially impacting the embryonic development of Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis)

PLoS One. 2019 Dec 31;14(12):e0226878. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226878. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Domestication is an evolutionary process during which we expect populations to progressively adapt to an environment controlled by humans. It is accompanied by genetic and presumably epigenetic changes potentially leading to modifications in the transcriptomic profile in various tissues. Reproduction is a key function often affected by this process in numerous species, regardless of the mechanism. The maternal mRNA in fish eggs is crucial for the proper embryogenesis. Our working hypothesis is that modifications of maternal mRNAs may reflect potential genetic and/or epigenetic modifications occurring during domestication and could have consequences during embryogenesis. Consequently, we investigated the trancriptomic profile of unfertilized eggs from two populations of Eurasian perch. These two populations differed by their domestication histories (F1 vs. F7+-at least seven generations of reproduction in captivity) and were genetically differentiated (FST = 0.1055, p<0.05). A broad follow up of the oogenesis progression failed to show significant differences during oogenesis between populations. However, the F1 population spawned earlier with embryos presenting an overall higher survivorship than those from the F7+ population. The transcriptomic profile of unfertilized eggs showed 358 differentially expressed genes between populations. In conclusion, our data suggests that the domestication process may influence the regulation of the maternal transcripts in fish eggs, which could in turn explain differences of developmental success.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Domestication*
  • Embryonic Development / genetics
  • Ovum / metabolism*
  • Perches / embryology*
  • Perches / genetics*
  • RNA, Messenger, Stored / genetics*
  • Transcriptome / genetics*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger, Stored

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the French National Research Agency ANR - http://www.agence-nationale-recherche.fr/ (Maternal Legacy ANR-13-BSV7-0015 to JB) and by the INRA PHASE department (http://www.phase.inra.fr/) and Lorraine Region. TRA’s fellowship was provided by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - http://www.cnpq.br/ (CNPq - 233389/2014-8). MA and LT's fellowships were provided by the French Ministry of Research (http://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.