Sex-dependent transcriptome analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery in the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana

In order to enhance genomic resources for the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, RNA-Seq analysis was conducted for adult females and males. Through de novo assembly, 36,896 high quality contigs were obtained, of which 13,749 sequences were annotated with arthropod sequences. Just 4.5% matched against previously reported sequences for Artemia spp. Additionally, different transcriptional patterns between males and females were found, evidencing sex-related transcriptional responses. Furthermore, 221 and 534 putative SNPs were identified exclusively in males and females, respectively. These results will build the foundation for further genomic studies in A. franciscana.