Background • At the time of publication, channel catfish represented the largest finfish aquaculture industry in the US • A fast, cost-effective, easy method for affecting production parameters in channel catfish did not exist • The authors developed and validated a panel to assess channel catfish appetite, growth, metabolism and inflammatory response
Methods • Data collected using the 48.48 GE IFC on Biomark HD • Established primer amplification efficiency, quality scores and cycle threshold using Real-Time PCR Analysis Software • Delta Gene™ assays used to create 48 gene target panel including genes related to the following categories: • Appetite • Growth • Metabolism • Inflammatory response NOTE: This paper was published before the channel catfish genome was published. A high-quality channel catfish genome is now available.
Results: • 48 assays designed and validated • Eight assays did not meet performance metrics and were removed • α-tubulin selected as most appropriate reference gene • Tissues from catfish fed four diets were collected and run on a single 48.48 GE IFC to demonstrate ease of use and cost savings of the microfluidics platform Conclusions: • Using the IFC to assess catfish production metrics demonstrates a fast, cost-effective solution over traditional qPCR and sequencing methods • IFC offerings allow the quick change of assay design based on study needs and sample throughput
Results and conclusions