Zhang Ting, Hu Yuning, Lu Siyu, Deng Yanfei, Zhang Huimin, Zhao Yanhua, Yu Yawen, Huang Hongbin, Zhou Jun, Li Xuguang
Key Laboratory of Genetic Breeding and Cultivation for Freshwater Crustacean, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210017, China.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, College of Marine Science and Fisheries, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Mar 6;26(5):2358. doi: 10.3390/ijms26052358.
Chitin synthase is an essential enzyme of the chitin synthesis pathway during molting. In this study, we identified and characterized a chitin synthase () gene in the Chinese mitten crab, . The spatio-temporal expression and functional role of were investigated. The open reading frame of was 4725 bp long and encoded 1574 amino acid residues that contained the typical domain structure of the glycosyltransferase family 2. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that belongs to the group I chitin synthase family. The expression of was found in regenerative limbs, the cuticle and the intestines. During the molting cycle, began to increase in the pre-molt stage and reached a significant peak in the post-molt stage. The knockdown of resulted in the significant downregulation of chitin biosynthesis pathway genes, including , , , and . Moreover, the long-term RNAi of resulted in thinning procuticles, abnormal molting and high mortality, suggesting that is indispensable for the formation of chitin in the cuticle during molting. In conclusion, is involved in the chitin biosynthesis pathway and plays an important role in molting in . These findings highlight the potential of incorporating into selective breeding programs to optimize molting regulation and improve growth performance in crustacean aquaculture.
几丁质合成酶是蜕皮过程中几丁质合成途径的一种必需酶。在本研究中，我们在中国绒螯蟹中鉴定并表征了一个几丁质合成酶（）基因。研究了该基因的时空表达及其功能作用。该基因的开放阅读框长4725 bp，编码1574个氨基酸残基，包含糖基转移酶家族2的典型结构域。系统发育分析表明，该基因属于Ⅰ类几丁质合成酶家族。在再生肢体、表皮和肠道中发现了该基因的表达。在蜕皮周期中，该基因在蜕皮前阶段开始增加，并在蜕皮后阶段达到显著峰值。该基因的敲低导致几丁质生物合成途径基因（包括、、、和）的显著下调。此外，该基因的长期RNA干扰导致前表皮变薄、蜕皮异常和高死亡率，这表明该基因在蜕皮过程中对于表皮中几丁质的形成是不可或缺的。总之，该基因参与几丁质生物合成途径，并在中国绒螯蟹的蜕皮过程中发挥重要作用。这些发现凸显了将该基因纳入选择性育种计划以优化蜕皮调控并提高甲壳类水产养殖生长性能的潜力。
