Dear colleagues,

We are writing to you with the intention to seek your help and assist in the development of a database about:

The Profiling Of Fish Gonadal Ribosomal RNA

In the BCTA research group of the Department of Zoology and Cell Biology at the University of the Basque Country(UPV/EHU), we have been workin g in the field of ecotoxicology several years using various models of fish. In the most recent years we have tried to explain the usefulness of a new methodology for sexing fish which is based on ribosomal RNA electrophoretic-migration obtained by extraction of total RNA from gonad (Diaz de Cerio et al, 2012).
The 5S rRNA is more abundant in females than in males, so a simple electrophoresis helps us identifying sex without any histological process. We can also identify the female reproductive stage making a simple index of 5S / 18S rRNA that identifies previtellogenesis females, cortical alveoli, vitellogenesis or maturing stage. Moreover, the same analysis distinguishes intersex males (males with oocytes in testis) by the fact that the 5S rRNA is abundantly expressed in oocytes.
In our laboratory we have tested the technique in commercial species that commonly inhabit our coast: hake, flounder, anchovy, sardine, horse mackerel and mackerel (among others). To generalize the use of this methodology to other species, we need to prove that it is useful to fish species with different strategies and reproductive cycles.
An additional problem is that we lack intersex individual samples in species other than Chelon labrosus.
Recently, in the “5th International Workshop on the Biology of Fish Gametes 2015” held in Ancona (Italy), we have called for collaboration between laboratories to collect XDA files with the rRNA profiles of gonads of different species. These files are the results of the quality analysis of RNA using as an instrument the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer.
Therefore, we will be deeply grateful if you could participate in our initiative with your stored files and completing the information we require.
In the following link we explain the process in more detail, and you can download additional information and an explanatory video.
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Does_anyone_want_to_participate_in_a_Collaborative_Network_about_Profiling_of_Fish_Gonadal_Ribosomal_RNA
The whole process should not take you more than 20 minutes.
To thank your help and the possible obtained results, we hope to write a scientific article in which a member of each research group would be invited to participate.
If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to contact us using the following contact fishoorna@gmail.com. Or just leave a question in the link provided above.

Yours faithfully,

The BCTA research group