Zhao Yunfeng, Gao Jin, Feng Hong, Jiang Li
Hainan Fisheries Innovation Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Sanya 572024, China.
Key Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100141, China.
Biology (Basel). 2025 Jan 13;14(1):63. doi: 10.3390/biology14010063.
The shape of the skull plays a crucial role in the evolution and adaptation of species to their environments. In the case of aquaculture fish, the size of the head is also an important economic trait, as it is linked to fillet yield and ornamental value. This study applies our GRAMMAR-Lambda method to perform a genome-wide association study analysis on loci related to head size in catfish. Compared with traditional GWAS methods, the GRAMMAR-Lambda method offers higher computational efficiency, statistical power, and stability, especially in complex population structures. This research identifies many candidate genes closely related to cranial morphology in terms of head length, width, and depth in catfish, including , , , , and , etc. Based on the results of gene-gene interaction analysis, we speculate that there may be frequent genetic interactions between chromosome 19 and chromosome 29 in bone development. Additionally, many candidate genes, gene families, and mechanisms (such as SOCE mechanisms) affecting skeletal development and morphology have been identified. These findings contribute to our understanding of the genetic architecture of head size and will support marker-assisted breeding in aquaculture, also reflecting the potential application of the GRAMMAR-Lambda method in genetic studies of complex traits.
颅骨的形状在物种的进化以及对环境的适应过程中起着至关重要的作用。就水产养殖鱼类而言，头部大小也是一个重要的经济性状，因为它与鱼片产量和观赏价值相关。本研究应用我们的GRAMMAR-Lambda方法对鲶鱼头部大小相关基因座进行全基因组关联研究分析。与传统的全基因组关联研究方法相比，GRAMMAR-Lambda方法具有更高的计算效率、统计功效和稳定性，尤其是在复杂的种群结构中。本研究确定了许多与鲶鱼头部长度、宽度和深度等颅骨形态密切相关的候选基因，包括 、 、 、 、 等。基于基因-基因相互作用分析的结果，我们推测在骨骼发育过程中，19号染色体和29号染色体之间可能存在频繁的基因相互作用。此外，还确定了许多影响骨骼发育和形态的候选基因、基因家族和机制（如SOCE机制）。这些发现有助于我们理解头部大小的遗传结构，并将支持水产养殖中的标记辅助育种，也反映了GRAMMAR-Lambda方法在复杂性状遗传研究中的潜在应用。
