title: Genomic signatures predict migration and spawning failure in wild Canadian salmon.
abstract: Long-term population viability of Fraser River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) is threatened by unusually high levels of mortality as they swim to their spawning areas before they spawn. Functional genomic studies on biopsied gill tissue from tagged wild adults that were tracked through ocean and river environments revealed physiological profiles predictive of successful migration and spawning. We identified a common genomic profile that was correlated with survival in each study. In ocean-tagged fish, a mortality-related genomic signature was associated with a 13.5-fold greater chance of dying en route. In river-tagged fish, the same genomic signature was associated with a 50% increase in mortality before reaching the spawning grounds in one of three stocks tested. At the spawning grounds, the same signature was associated with 3.7-fold greater odds of dying without spawning. Functional analysis raises the possibility that the mortality-related signature reflects a viral infection.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Section, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7, Canada. kristi.miller@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
authors.forename: Kristina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Shaorong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Karia H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kaukinen
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ginther
authors.forename: Edd
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hammill
authors.forename: Janelle M R
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sierocinski
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Donnison
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pavlidis
authors.forename: Scott G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hinch
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hruska
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Karl K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Farrell
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D016678:Genome; D005880:Gills; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D011157:Population Dynamics; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D012098:Reproduction; D045483:Rivers; D012474:Salmon / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary