Universal prediction of vertebrate species age at maturity.

Animal age at maturity can be used as a universal and simple predictor of species extinction risk. At present, methods to estimate age at maturity are typically species-specific, limiting comparisons among species, or are infeasible due to practical constraints. To overcome this, here we develop a universal predictor of species-level age at maturity for vertebrates.

A genomic predictor for age at sexual maturity for mammalian species.

Age at sexual maturity is a key life history trait that can be used to predict population growth rates and develop life history models. In many wild animal species, the age at sexual maturity is not accurately quantified. This results in a reduced ability to accurately model demography of wild populations.

Fish species lifespan prediction from promoter cytosine-phosphate-guanine density.

Lifespan is a key attribute of a species' life cycle and varies extensively among major lineages of animals. In fish, lifespan varies by several orders of magnitude, with reported values ranging from less than 1 year to approximately 400 years. Lifespan information is particularly useful for species management, as it can be used to estimate invasion potential, extinction risk and sustainable harvest rates.

Epigenetics underpins phenotypic plasticity of protandrous sex change in fish.

Phenotypic plasticity is an important driver of species resilience. Often mediated by epigenetic changes, phenotypic plasticity enables individual genotypes to express variable phenotypes in response to environmental change. Barramundi () are a protandrous (male-first) sequential hermaphrodite that exhibits plasticity in length-at-sex change between geographic regions.

Next Generation Sequencing of Single Nucleotide Polymorphic DNA-Markers in Selecting for Intramuscular Fat, Fat Melting Point, Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Meat Eating Quality in Tattykeel Australian White MARGRA Lamb.

Meat quality data can only be obtained after slaughter when selection decisions about the live animal are already too late. Carcass estimated breeding values present major precision problems due to low accuracy, and by the time an informed decision on the genetic merit for meat quality is made, the animal is already dead. We report for the first time, a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of lipid metabolism genes in Tattykeel Australian White (TAW) sheep of the MARGRA lamb brand, utilizing an innovative and minimally invasive muscle biopsy sampling technique for directly quantifying the genetic worth of live lambs for health-beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), intramuscular fat (IMF), and fat melting point (FMP).

Genetics of Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Metabolism and Meat Eating Quality in Tattykeel Australian White Lambs.

Meat eating quality with a healthy composition hinges on intramuscular fat (IMF), fat melting point (FMP), tenderness, juiciness, flavour and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) content. These health-beneficial n-3 LC-PUFA play significant roles in optimal cardiovascular, retinal, maternal and childhood brain functions, and include alpha linolenic (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosahexaenoic (DHA) and docosapentaenoic (DPA) acids. The primary objective of this review was to access, retrieve, synthesise and critically appraise the published literature on the synthesis, metabolism and genetics of n-3 LC-PUFA and meat eating quality.

Sex-specific dmrt1 and cyp19a1 methylation and alternative splicing in gonads of the protandrous hermaphrodite barramundi.

Epigenetics is involved in sex differentiation of gonochoristic and hermaphroditic fish species, whereby two genes dmrt1 (pro-male) and cyp19a1 (pro-female) are known to play major roles. Barramundi, Lates calcarifer, is an important tropical aquaculture species that undergo natural and permanent male to female sex change, a process for which the exact underlying molecular mechanisms are still unknown. To elucidate whether DNA methylation is involved in sex control of barramundi, a next-generation bisulfite amplicon sequencing approach was used to target 146 CpG sites within proximal promoters and first exons of seven sex-related genes (dmrt1, cyp19a1, amh, foxl2, nr5a2, sox8 and sox9) of 24 testis and 18 ovaries of captive and wild adult barramundi.

Rapid expansion of pigmentation genes in penaeid shrimp with absolute preservation of function.

Crustaceans form their distinct patterns and colours through the interaction of the carotenoid astaxanthin with a protein called crustacyanin (CRCN). Presently, the expression of just two genes is thought to provide the protein subunits that combine to form the crustacyanin complex and associated carotenoid colour change from red to blue. This study aimed to explore the genetic complexity underlying the production of pigmentation and camouflage in penaeid shrimp.