Sex-Specific Co-expression Networks and Sex-Biased Gene Expression in the Salmonid Brook Charr Salvelinus fontinalis.

ABSTRACT: Networks of co-expressed genes produce complex phenotypes associated with functional novelty. Sex differences in gene expression levels or in the structure of gene co-expression networks can cause sexual dimorphism and may resolve sexually antagonistic selection. Here we used RNA-sequencing in the salmonid Brook Charr Salvelinus fontinalis to characterize sex-specific co-expression networks in the liver of 47 female and 53 male offspring. In both networks, modules were characterized for functional enrichment, hub gene identification, and associations with 15 growth, reproduction, and stress-related phenotypes. Modules were then evaluated for preservation in the opposite sex, and in the congener Arctic Charr Salvelinus alpinus Overall, more transcripts were assigned to a modul

SUBMITTER: Sutherland BJG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6404618 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature