Abalone are economically important cultured species in many countries because of their highly palatable muscular foot. However, overfishing and depletion of wild abalone populations has led to a decrease in the global abalone population. Currently in abalone aquaculture the maturation of males and females is not synchronis ed, and artificial spawning induction methods are reported to be inefficient. This is unfavourable for rapid gains through selective breeding. Exploring reproductive mechanisms may lead to innovative intervention techniques to enhance abalone production. It has been established that sexual maturity of abalone is a complex process closely linked to the neuroendocrine system, however understanding the molecular signalling components and pathways required for gonad maturation remains unclear.
The greenlip abalone is a temperate species and the most commonly cultivated pure species in Australia. Here, t ranscriptomics was used to explore differential gene expression during gonad maturation of this species. RNA was extracted from the gonad and ganglia of both males and females at different maturation stages, assessed using the visual gonad index (VGI, Figure 1). The RNA was first used to generate new, high-quality (pooled) transcriptomes from these tissues . Transcriptome profiling was then conducted on individual samples using a low-input Next Generation Sequencing library preparation protocol (CEL-Seq2) . Differential gene expression analysis was conducted between samples from different VGI stages to identify genes likely to be associated with gonad maturation in greenlip abalone.
The data from this study will provide a solid foundation for the functional characterisation of these genes and will provide opportunities to develop innovative intervention methods to prevent or promote spawning. Intervention methods may include pharmacological, mechanical, or environmental mechanisms to control gonad maturation. The ability to intervene in maturation will assist the abalone industry to enhance production and delivery of a more robust product to market.