Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals the genetic basis of skin color variation in common carp.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The common carp is an important aquaculture species that is widely distributed across the world. During the long history of carp domestication, numerous carp strains with diverse skin colors have been established. Skin color is used as a visual criterion to determine the market value of carp. However, the genetic basis of common carp skin color has not been extensively studied.

Methodology/principal findings

In this study, we performed Illumina sequencing on two common carp strains: the reddish Xingguo red carp and the brownish-black Yellow River carp. A total of 435,348,868 reads were generated, resulting in 198,781 assembled contigs that were used as reference sequences. Comparisons of skin transcriptome files revealed 2,012 unigenes with significantly different

SUBMITTER: Jiang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4177847 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature