BACKGROUND Genome annotation projects, gene functional studies, and phylogenetic analyses for a given organism all greatly benefit from access to a validated full-length cDNA resource. While increasingly common in model species, full-length cDNA resources in aquaculture species are scarce. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Through in silico analysis of catfish (Ictalurus spp.) ESTs, a total ...

An experiment was conducted in nine 200-m2 earthen ponds at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand from 17 July 2003 to 3 March 2004 (230 days). The objectives of the study were to assess the feasibility of co-culture of lotus and hybrid catfish in intensively fed ponds, to assess nutrient recovery from feed waste by lotus plants, to assess pond mud characteristics after lotus-fish c...

The catfish genome database, cBARBEL (abbreviated from catfish Breeder And Researcher Bioinformatics Entry Location) is an online open-access database for genome biology of ictalurid catfish (Ictalurus spp.). It serves as a comprehensive, integrative platform for all aspects of catfish genetics, genomics and related data resources. cBARBEL provides BLAST-based, fuzzy and specific search functio...

We report sequence, tissue expression and map-position data for myogenin, MYOD1, myostatin and follistatin in three Ictalurid catfish species: channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), blue catfish (I. furcatus) and white catfish (Ameiurus catus). These genes are involved in muscle growth and development in mammals and may play similar roles in catfish. Amino acid sequences were highly conserved a...

This study investigated the perceptions on and adaptations to climate change impacts of 235 pangasius farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Data were collected using semi-structured household surveys in six provinces, from three regions along the Mekong river branches. A Chi-Square test was used to determine the association between variables, and a logit regression model was employed to identif...

BACKGROUND Sound production and hearing sensitivity of ectothermic animals are affected by the ambient temperature. This is the first study investigating the influence of temperature on both sound production and on hearing abilities in a fish species, namely the neotropical Striped Raphael catfish Platydoras armatulus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Doradid catfishes produce stridulation soun...

The selectivity for Ca(2+) over Na(+), PCa/PNa, is higher in cGMP-gated (CNG) ion channels of retinal cone photoreceptors than in those of rods. To ascertain the physiological significance of this fact, we determined the fraction of the cyclic nucleotide-gated current specifically carried by Ca(2+) in intact rods and cones. We activated CNG channels by suddenly (<5 ms) increasing free 8Br-cGMP ...