Benjamin Reading

Area(s) of Expertise

Yolk Formation & Egg Quality Developing offspring of oviparous animals are entirely dependent on stored egg yolk for nutritional sustenance. The nutrients stored in the ovulated egg must be sufficient to sustain the development of progeny from the time of fertilization to the onset of exogenous feeding. Vitellogenesis is the process whereby the required yolk nutrients are deposited into growing oocytes, which eventually give rise to eggs. We characterize this complex and fundamental process to better understand oogenesis and egg quality in commercially important finfish species. We apply recent advances in functional genomics to address widespread female reproductive failure in fisheries and on commercial fish farms and to provide solutions to this problem.