Expressed sequence tags in larval Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) exhibits trophic specialisation and is gaining increased significance in aquaculture. Little is known about the molecular biology of this species. The aim of this work was to identify genes expressed in the Arctic charr larvae. A cDNA library was constructed from whole charr larvae. Of the 803 cDNA clones in the library, 234 representatively sized clones were selected for sequencing. Sixty two percent of the ESTs (146 sequences) showed significant similar to sequences in nucleotide and protein databases of known function and yielded 63 different unique sequences. The largest group of ESTs encoded proteins involved in metabolism. The majority of the remaining ESTs represented proteins with roles in cell structure and motility or gene/protein expression. Thirty eight percent (88 sequences) were unidentified and are therefore presumed to represent previously unidentified cDNA sequences. The sequences presented here are a result of the first effort to investigate the transcriptome of Arctic charr and will facilitate future studies on gene expression. In addition, they provide markers for valuable phenotypic traits linked to future performance.