A Nanopore Based Chromosome-Level Assembly Representing Atlantic Cod from the Celtic Sea.

Currently available genome assemblies for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) have been constructed from fish belonging to the Northeast Arctic Cod (NEAC) population; a migratory population feeding in the Barents Sea. These assemblies have been crucial for the development of genetic markers which have been used to study population differentiation and adaptive evolution in Atlantic cod, pinpointing four discrete islands of genomic divergence located on linkage groups 1, 2, 7 and 12. In this paper, we present a high-quality reference genome from a male Atlantic cod representing a southern population inhabiting the Celtic sea. The genome assembly (gadMor_Celtic) was produced from long-read nanopore data and has a combined contig length of 686 Mb with an N50 of 10 Mb. Integrating contigs with genetic linkage mapping information enabled us to construct 23 chromosome sequences which mapped with high confidence to the latest NEAC population assembly (gadMor3) and allowed us to characterize, to an extent not previously reported large chromosomal inversions on linkage groups 1, 2, 7 and 12. In most cases, inversion breakpoints could be located within single nanopore contigs. Our results suggest the presence of inversions in Celtic cod on linkage groups 6, 11 and 21, although these remain to be confirmed. Further, we identified a specific repetitive element that is relatively enriched at predicted centromeric regions. Our gadMor_Celtic assembly provides a resource representing a 'southern' cod population which is complementary to the existing 'northern' population based genome assemblies and represents the first step toward developing pan-genomic resources for Atlantic cod.

Characterization of a male specific region containing a candidate sex determining gene in Atlantic cod.

The genetic mechanisms determining sex in teleost fishes are highly variable and the master sex determining gene has only been identified in few species. Here we characterize a male-specific region of 9 kb on linkage group 11 in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) harboring a single gene named zkY for zinc knuckle on the Y chromosome. Diagnostic PCR test of phenotypically sexed males and females confirm the sex-specific nature of the Y-sequence. We identified twelve highly similar autosomal gene copies of zkY, of which eight code for proteins containing the zinc knuckle motif. 3D modeling suggests that the amino acid changes observed in six copies might influence the putative RNA-binding specificity. Cod zkY and the autosomal proteins zk1 and zk2 possess an identical zinc knuckle structure, but only the Y-specific gene zkY was expressed at high levels in the developing larvae before the onset of sex differentiation. Collectively these data suggest zkY as a candidate master masculinization gene in Atlantic cod. PCR amplification of Y-sequences in Arctic cod (Arctogadus glacialis) and Greenland cod (Gadus macrocephalus ogac) suggests that the male-specific region emerged in codfishes more than 7.5 million years ago.

Two adjacent inversions maintain genomic differentiation between migratory and stationary ecotypes of Atlantic cod.

Atlantic cod is composed of multiple migratory and stationary populations widely distributed in the North Atlantic Ocean. The Northeast Arctic cod (NEAC) population in the Barents Sea undertakes annual spawning migrations to the northern Norwegian coast. Although spawning occurs sympatrically with the stationary Norwegian coastal cod (NCC), phenotypic and genetic differences between NEAC and NCC are maintained. In this study, we resolve the enigma by revealing the mechanisms underlying these differences. Extended linkage disequilibrium (LD) and population divergence were demonstrated in a 17.4-Mb region on linkage group 1 (LG1) based on genotypes of 494 SNPs from 192 parents of farmed families of NEAC, NCC or NEACxNCC crosses. Linkage analyses revealed two adjacent inversions within this region that repress meiotic recombination in NEACxNCC crosses. We identified a NEAC-specific haplotype consisting of 186 SNPs that was fixed in NEAC sampled from the Barents Sea, but segregating under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in eight NCC stocks. Comparative genomic analyses determine the NEAC configuration of the inversions to be the derived state and date it to ~1.6-2.0 Mya. The haplotype block harbours 763 genes, including candidates regulating swim bladder pressure, haem synthesis and skeletal muscle organization conferring adaptation to long-distance migrations and vertical movements down to large depths. Our results suggest that the migratory ecotype experiences strong directional selection for the two adjacent inversions on LG1. Despite interbreeding between NEAC and NCC, the inversions are maintaining genetic differentiation, and we hypothesize the co-occurrence of multiple adaptive alleles forming a 'supergene' in the NEAC population.

Evolutionary history and adaptive significance of the polymorphic Pan I in migratory and stationary populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

The synaptophysin (SYP) family comprises integral membrane proteins involved in vesicle-trafficking events, but the physiological function of several members has been enigmatic for decades. The presynaptic SYP protein controls neurotransmitter release, while SYP-like 2 (SYPL2) contributes to maintain normal Ca(2+)-signaling in the skeletal muscles. The polymorphic pantophysin (Pan I) of Atlantic cod shows strong genetic divergence between stationary and migratory populations, which seem to be adapted to local environmental conditions. We have investigated the functional involvement of Pan I in the different ecotypes by analyzing the 1) phylogeny, 2) spatio-temporal gene expression, 3) structure-function relationship of the Pan I(A) and I(B) protein variants, and 4) linkage to rhodopsin (rho) recently proposed to be associated with different light sensitivities in Icelandic populations of Atlantic cod. We searched for SYP family genes in phylogenetic key species and identified a single syp-related gene in three invertebrate chordates, while four members, Syp, Sypl1, Sypl2 and synaptoporin (Synpr), were found in tetrapods, Comoran coelacanth and spotted gar. Teleost fish were shown to possess duplicated syp, sypl2 and synpr genes of which the sypl2b paralog is identical to Pan I. The ubiquitously expressed cod Pan I codes for a tetra-spanning membrane protein possessing five amino acid substitutions in the first intravesicular loop, but only minor structural differences were shown between the allelic variants. Despite sizable genomic distance (>2.5 Mb) between Pan I and rho, highly significant linkage disequilibrium was found by genotyping shallow and deep water juvenile settlers predominated by the Pan I(A)-rho(A) and Pan I(B)-rho(B) haplotypes, respectively. However, the predicted rhodopsin protein showed no amino acid changes, while multiple polymorphic sites in the upstream region might affect the gene expression and pigment levels in stationary and migratory cod. Alternatively, other strongly linked genes might be responsible for the sharp settling stratification of juveniles and the different vertical behavior patterns of adult Atlantic cod.