Construction and evaluation of a high-density SNP array for the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are widely used in genetics and genomics research. The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is an economically and ecologically important marine bivalve, and it possesses one of the highest levels of genomic DNA variation among animal species. Pacific oyster SNPs have been extensively investigated; however, the mechanisms by which these SNPs may be used in a high-throughput, transferable, and economical manner remain to be elucidated. Here, we constructed an oyster 190K SNP array using Affymetrix Axiom genotyping technology. We designed 190,420 SNPs on the chip; these SNPs were selected from 54 million SNPs identified through re-sequencing of 472 Pacific oysters collected in China, Japan, Korea, and Canada. Our genotyping results indicated that 133,984 (70.4%) SNPs were polymorphic and successfully converted on the chip. The SNPs were distributed evenly throughout the oyster genome, located in 3,595 scaffolds with a length of ~509.4 million; the average interval spacing was 4,210 bp. In addition, 111,158 SNPs were distributed in 21,050 coding genes, with an average of 5.3 SNPs per gene. In comparison with genotypes obtained through re-sequencing, ~69% of the converted SNPs had a concordance rate of >0.971; the mean concordance rate was 0.966. Evaluation based on genotypes of full-sib family individuals revealed that the average genotyping accuracy rate was 0.975. Carrying 133 K polymorphic SNPs, our oyster 190K SNP array is the first commercially available high-density SNP chip for mollusks, with the highest throughput. It represents a valuable tool for oyster genome-wide association studies, fine linkage mapping, and population genetics.