Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture Research : People & Places

USDA-ARS-NCCCWA

11861 Leetown Road

Kearneysville, WV 25430

Voice: (304) 724-8340 x2134

Professional Biographical Information:

2008 – Present Lead Scientist, Genomics Unit, NCCCWA-ARS-USDA

2001 – Present Research Geneticist, NCCCWA-ARS-USDA

2000 - 2001 Research Associate, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

1999 – 2000 Visiting Lecturer, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

1998 – 1999 Postdoctoral Fellow, Agricultural Research Organization, Beit-Dagan, Israel

1994 - 1997 Ph.D., Genetics & Cell Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

1992 - 1994 M.Sc., Genetics & Cell Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA

1988 - 1991 B.Sc., Agricultural Economics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel

CV - PDF

Description of Research Rationale and Focus:

The demand for seafood is increasing worldwide while there is new restriction on capture fisheries harvest. To meet increasing consumer demand, U.S. aquaculture producers require improved efficiencies and sustainable practices while maintaining and improving product quality. The application of genomic technologies towards the genetic improvement of aquaculture species is expected to facilitate selective breeding and provide basic information on the biochemical mechanisms controlling traits of interest. In collaboration with U.S. and international scientists, we have developed a suite of genome tools and reagents for rainbow trout to identify and characterize genes affecting aquaculture production traits. Projects concurrent with our previous 5-year project characterized the genetic variation of the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture (NCCCWA) broodstock with respect to resistance to Bacterial Cold Water Disease (BCWD) and response to crowding stress. Specific crosses were identified that will facilitate the identification of chromosome regions and genes affecting these traits through genetic mapping and functional genomic approaches. The current project will continue the genome scans of these crosses with new sets of markers to identify positional candidate genes affecting these traits. This information is important to gain a better understanding of the genetics of disease resistance and production traits and for transferring genetic information and improved germplasm from the NCCCWA selective breeding program to customers and stakeholders.

Current research objectives:

1. Detect and fine map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to bacterial cold water disease in rainbow trout.

2. Produce a reference genome sequence assembly for rainbow trout to facilitate the identification of genes affecting production traits as well as transcriptome and proteome analyses.

3. Produce an extensive single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) database for rainbow trout to facilitate the design of a high density SNP chip assay for genome analyses and for improving the current DNA markers technology used for strains identification and traceability, broodstock management and pedigree analyses.

4. Study the genetic basis of cyprinid herpes virus-3 resistance in common carp.