Cai Lina, Zheng Jianbo, Jia Yongyi, Gu Zhimin, Liu Shili, Chi Meili, Cheng Shun
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquaculture, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding, Zhejiang Institute of Freshwater Fisheries, Huzhou, China.
Front Physiol. 2020 Jul 9;11:631. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00631. eCollection 2020.
Sex determination/sex differentiation is determined by genetics, environmental factors, or the interactions of the two. The () gene plays an important role in the sex determination cascade signal pathway in insects. In this study, the gene was isolated and characterized from the cDNA library of gonad tissues in the redclaw crayfish, Three splice variants were identified, designated as , and , and sequence analysis showed that they had a highly conserved RRM domain. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by the NJ method, and the results revealed that the Tra-2 protein of the redclaw crayfish was very closely related to those of , , and Real-time PCR analysis showed that the three isoforms were predominantly expressed in the ovary and gradually increased with embryonic development. Additionally, the expression pattern of at different developmental stages was analyzed by qPCR and revealed that the phase of having a body length of 3 cm may be the key period for the sex differentiation of RNAi-targeting gene silencing further confirmed the function of in sexual differentiation in redclaw crayfish. Our experimental data will contribute to understanding the mechanism of sex determination in crustaceans.
性别决定/性别分化由遗传因素、环境因素或两者的相互作用决定。（）基因在昆虫性别决定级联信号通路中起重要作用。在本研究中，从红螯螯虾性腺组织的cDNA文库中分离并鉴定了该基因。鉴定出三个剪接变体，命名为、和，序列分析表明它们具有高度保守的RRM结构域。采用邻接法进行系统发育分析，结果显示红螯螯虾的Tra-2蛋白与、和的Tra-2蛋白密切相关。实时PCR分析表明，这三种异构体主要在卵巢中表达，并随着胚胎发育而逐渐增加。此外，通过qPCR分析了在不同发育阶段的表达模式，结果表明体长为3 cm的阶段可能是红螯螯虾性别分化的关键时期。靶向基因沉默的RNAi进一步证实了在红螯螯虾性别分化中的功能。我们的实验数据将有助于理解甲壳类动物的性别决定机制。
