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A genetic method to infer ploidy and aberrant inheritance in triploid organisms

Delaval, Aurelien1; Glover, Kevin A.1; Solberg, Monica F.1; Taggart, John B.2; Besnier, François1; Sørvik, Anne Grete Eide1; Øyro, Johanne1; Garnes-Gutvik, Sofie Nordaune1; Fjelldal, Per Gunnar1; Hansen, Tom1; Harvey, Alison1

Published Jul 17, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.931zcrjv1

Data files

Jul 17, 2024 version files 1.99 MB

Abstract

Polyploidy occurs naturally across eukaryotic lineages and has been harnessed in the domestication of many crops and vertebrates. In aquaculture, triploidy can be induced as a biocontainment strategy, as it creates a reproductive barrier preventing farm-to-wild introgression, which is currently a major conservation issue for the industry. However, recent work suggests that triploidization protocols may, on occasion, produce ‘failed triploids’ displaying diploidy, aneuploidy, and aberrant inheritance. The potentially negative consequences for conservation and animal welfare motivate the need for methods to evaluate the success of ploidy-manipulation protocols early in the production process. We developed a semi-automated version of the MAC-PR (microsatellite DNA allele counting – peak ratios) method to resolve the allelic configuration of large numbers of individuals across a panel of microsatellite markers, that can be used to infer ploidy, pedigree, and inheritance aberrations. We demonstrate an application of the approach using material from a series of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) breeding experiments where ploidy was manipulated using a hydrostatic pressure treatment. We validated the approach to infer ploidy against blood smears, finding a >99% agreement between these methods, and demonstrate its potential utility to infer ploidy as early as the embryonic stage. Furthermore, we present tools to assign diploid and triploid progeny to families and to detect aberrant inheritance, which may be useful for breeding programmes that utilize ploidy manipulation techniques. The approach adds to the ploidy verification toolbox. The increased precision in detecting ploidy and inheritance aberrations will facilitate the ability of triploidization programmes to prevent farm-to-wild introgression.