title: Gene-expression signatures of Atlantic salmon's plastic life cycle.
abstract: How genomic expression differs as a function of life history variation is largely unknown. Atlantic salmon exhibits extreme alternative life histories. We defined the gene-expression signatures of wild-caught salmon at two different life stages by comparing the brain expression profiles of mature sneaker males and immature males, and early migrants and late migrants. In addition to life-stage-specific signatures, we discovered a surprisingly large gene set that was differentially regulated-at similar magnitudes, yet in opposite direction-in both life history transitions. We suggest that this co-variation is not a consequence of many independent cellular and molecular switches in the same direction but rather represents the molecular equivalent of a physiological shift orchestrated by one or very few master regulators.
authors.affiliation: Département de Sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, 90 Vincent D'Indy, Montréal, Que., Canada. n.aubin-horth@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aubin-Horth
authors.forename: Benjamin H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Letcher
authors.forename: Hans A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hofmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*