Pf-Dmrt4,a potential factor in sexual development in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata  

作　　者：WANG Qi SHI Yu HE Maoxian 王琦;石禹;何毛贤

机构地区：[1]CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology,South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guangzhou 510301,China [2]Taiyuan University of Technology,Taiyuan 030024,China

出　　处：《Journal of Oceanology and Limnology》2018年第6期2337-2350,共14页海洋湖沼学报（英文）

基　　金：Supported by the Earmarked Fund for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System(No.CARS-49);the Marine Fishery Science and Technology Development Project of Guangdong Province,China(Nos.Z2014012,Z2015014);the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province,China(No.2014B030301064)

摘　　要：The mechanisms of sex determination and sex differentiation in the pearl oyster P inctada fucata are currently poorly understood. We therefore investigated the roles of orthologs of the D mrt gene family, key players in male gonad differentiation in mammals, in P. fucata sex diff erentiation and sexual development. Pf-Dmrt4 exhibits features typical of the D mrt family, and displays significant homologies to the DMRT4 cluster. Pf-Dmrt4 mRNA expression in the gonads during a gametogenic cycle, measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, was maximal in mature individuals. P f-Dmrt4 expression, demonstrated by in situ hybridization, was localized in the spermatozoa, spermatids, oocytes and vitellogenic oocytes. Knockdown of Pf-Dmrt4 with double-stranded RNA resulted in decreased mRNA expression levels. And Pf-Dmrt4-dsRNA-injected groups showed spawning-stage male gonads, with ruptured follicles and released spermatozoa. Our results enhance the understanding of sex determination and differentiation in P. fucata and suggest that Pf-Dmrt4 could be involved in male gonadal development, and maintenance of male gonadal function.The mechanisms of sex determination and sex differentiation in the pearl oyster P inctada fucata are currently poorly understood. We therefore investigated the roles of orthologs of the D mrt gene family, key players in male gonad differentiation in mammals, in P. fucata sex diff erentiation and sexual development. Pf-Dmrt4 exhibits features typical of the D mrt family, and displays significant homologies to the DMRT4 cluster. Pf-Dmrt4 mRNA expression in the gonads during a gametogenic cycle, measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, was maximal in mature individuals. P f-Dmrt4 expression, demonstrated by in situ hybridization, was localized in the spermatozoa, spermatids, oocytes and vitellogenic oocytes. Knockdown of Pf-Dmrt4 with double-stranded RNA resulted in decreased mRNA expression levels. And Pf-Dmrt4-dsRNA-injected groups showed spawning-stage male gonads, with ruptured follicles and released spermatozoa. Our results enhance the understanding of sex determination and differentiation in P. fucata and suggest that Pf-Dmrt4 could be involved in male gonadal development, and maintenance of male gonadal function.

关 键 词：PINCTADA fucata Pf-Dmrt4 GENE EXPRESSION sexual development 

分 类 号：P[天文地球]