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Molecular cloning and expression patterns of a sex-biased transcriptional factor Foxl2 in the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

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Abstract

Backgroud

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is an economically important species that is widely cultivated in some Asian nations. Foxl2 is a transcriptional regulator of ovarian differentiation and development. The aim of this study was to study the bioinformatics features and expression patterns of M. rosenbergii Foxl2 (MrFoxl2).

Methods

In this study, all experimental animals were mature M. rosenbergii (9–12 cm) individuals. The foxl2 gene was identified and characterized in the genome of M. rosenbergii using molecular cloning, bioinformatic analysis, in situ hybridization, and quantitative analysis.

Results

The identified cDNA encoded a putative 489-amino-acid MrFoxl2 protein. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a low identity of MrFoxl2 to other crustacean orthologues. The closest phylogenetic relationship was to Foxl2 of Eriocheir sinensis. The result of in situ hybridization demonstrated that transcripts of MrFoxl2 in M. rosenbergii were identified in spermatocytes, oocytes, and secretory epithelial cells of the vas deferens. The result of q-PCR suggested that a high expression of MrFoxl2 was identified in the testis, vas deferens, and ovaries. During ovarian development, MrFoxl2 expression was the highest in stage I.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that MrFoxl2 may play a role in gonadal development in both female and male M. rosenbergii.

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Data availability

All datasets generated for this study are included in the manuscript.

Abbreviations

Foxl2:

Forkhead box l2

GnRH:

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-like peptides

Igf3:

Insulin-like growth factor 3

Wnt4:

Wingless-type MMTV integration site family 4

ER:

Estrogen receptor

Hsd3β:

3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

Hsd17β:

17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase

Cyp11a1:

Cytochrome P450, family 11, subfamily a, polypeptide1

Cyp17:

Cytochrome P450 17-hydroxylase/lyase

Cyp19a1:

Cytochrome P450, family 19, subfamily a, polypeptide 1

Sox9:

SRY-box transcription factor 9

GIH:

Gonad-inhibiting hormone

VTG:

Vitellogenin

DSX:

Doublesex

RACE:

Rapid amplification of cDNA ends

ORF:

Open reading frame

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 31501858.

Funding

This research was financially supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China under (Grant No. 31501858).

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Author notes

  1. Yuankui Zhu and Honglu Chen have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Fisheries, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education/Key Lab of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Yuankui Zhu, Honglu Chen, Qingfei Zhang, Kianann Tan, Shouli Liao & Weimin Wang

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  1. Yuankui Zhu
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Contributions

YKZ, HLC and WMW conceived and designed the experiments; YKZ, HLC, QFZ, KT and SLL performed the experiment; YKZ, HLC analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript; WMW provided the experimental resources; WMW and KT revised the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Weimin Wang.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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This study has been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Huazhong Agricultural University (Wuhan, China) and conducted in accordance with ethical standards, the national and international guidelines.

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Zhu, Y., Chen, H., Zhang, Q. et al. Molecular cloning and expression patterns of a sex-biased transcriptional factor Foxl2 in the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). Mol Biol Rep 50, 3581–3591 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07526-7

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