Shen Xufang, Yan Hongwei, Hu Mingtao, Zhou Huiting, Wang Jia, Gao Rui, Liu Qi, Wang Xiuli, Liu Ying
College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China.
Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, Liaoning 116023, China; The Key Laboratory of Pufferfish Breeding and Culture in Liaoning Province, 116023, China.
Aquat Toxicol. 2024 Aug;273:107022. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107022. Epub 2024 Jul 14.
Estrogen plays a pivotal role in the early stage of sex differentiation in teleost. However, the underlying mechanisms of estrogen-induced feminization process are still needed for further clarification. Here, the comparative analysis of whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing was conducted between 17beta-Estradiol induced feminized XY (E-XY) gonads and control gonads (C) in Takifugu rubripes. A total of 57 miRNAs, 65 lncRNAs, and 4 circRNAs were found to be expressed at lower levels in control-XY (C-XY) than that in control-XX (C-XX), and were up-regulated in XY during E-induced feminization process. The expression levels of 24 miRNAs, and 55 lncRNAs were higher in C-XY than that in C-XX, and were down-regulated in E-treated XY. Furthermore, a correlation analysis was performed between miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq data. In C-XX/C-XY, 114 differential expression (DE) miRNAs were predicted to target to 904 differential expression genes (DEGs), while in C-XY/E-XY, 226 DEmiRNAs were predicted to target to 2,048 DEGs. In C-XX/C-XY, and C-XY/E-XY, KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that those targeted genes were mainly enriched in MAPK signaling, calcium signaling, steroid hormone biosynthesis and ovarian steroidogenesis pathway. Additionally, the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network was constructed by 24 miRNAs, 21 lncRNAs, 4 circRNAs and 5 key sex-related genes. These findings suggested that the expression of critical genes in sex differentiation were altered in E-treated XY T. rubripes may via the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network to facilitate the differentiation and maintenance of ovaries. Our results provide a new insight into the comprehensive understanding of the effects of estrogen signaling pathways on sex differentiation in teleost gonads.
雌激素在硬骨鱼性别分化的早期阶段起着关键作用。然而，雌激素诱导雌性化过程的潜在机制仍需进一步阐明。在此，对红鳍东方鲀中17β-雌二醇诱导的雌性化XY（E-XY）性腺和对照性腺（C）进行了全转录组RNA测序的比较分析。共发现57个miRNA、65个lncRNA和4个circRNA在对照XY（C-XY）中的表达水平低于对照XX（C-XX），并在雌激素诱导的雌性化过程中在XY中上调。24个miRNA和55个lncRNA在C-XY中的表达水平高于C-XX，并在雌激素处理的XY中下调。此外，对miRNA-seq和mRNA-seq数据进行了相关性分析。在C-XX/C-XY中，预测114个差异表达（DE）miRNA靶向904个差异表达基因（DEG），而在C-XY/E-XY中，预测226个DEmiRNA靶向2048个DEG。在C-XX/C-XY和C-XY/E-XY中，KEGG通路富集分析表明，这些靶向基因主要富集在MAPK信号通路、钙信号通路、类固醇激素生物合成和卵巢类固醇生成通路中。此外，由24个miRNA、21个lncRNA、4个circRNA和5个关键性别相关基因构建了竞争性内源RNA（ceRNA）调控网络。这些发现表明，雌激素处理的红鳍东方鲀XY中性别分化关键基因的表达可能通过lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA调控网络发生改变，以促进卵巢的分化和维持。我们的结果为全面理解雌激素信号通路对硬骨鱼性腺性别分化的影响提供了新的见解。
