Identification of Mytilus edulis genetic regulators during early development

Understanding the mechanisms that enable growth and survival of an organism while driving it to the full range of its adaptation is fundamental to the issues of biodiversity and evolution, particularly regarding global climatic changes. Here we report the Illumina RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and de novo assembly of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis transcriptome during early development. This study is based on high-throughput data, which associates genome-wide differentially expressed transcript (DET) patterns with early activation of developmental processes. Approximately 50,383 high-quality contigs were assembled. Over 8000 transcripts were associated with functional proteins from public databases. Coding and non-coding genes served to design customized microarrays targeting every developmental stage, which encompass major transitions in tissue organization. Consequently, multi-processing pattern exploration protocols applied to 3633 DETs helped discover 12 unique coordinated eigengenes supposedly implicated in various physiological and morphological changes that larvae undergo during early development. Moreover, dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) provided key insights to understand stage-specific molecular mechanisms activated throughout ontogeny. In addition, delayed and contemporaneous interactions between DETs were coerced with 16 relevant regulators that interrelated in non-random genetic regulatory networks (GRNs). Genes associated with mechanisms of neural and muscular development have been characterized and further included in dynamic networks necessary in growth and functional morphology. This is the first large-scale study being dedicated to M. edulis throughout early ontogeny. Integration between RNA-seq and microarray data enabled a high-throughput exploration of hidden processes essential in growth and survival of microscopic mussel larvae. Our integrative approach will support a holistic understanding of systems biology and will help establish new links between environmental assessment and functional development of marine bivalves.