Whole-Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Gender Dimorphic Expressions of Mrnas and Non-Coding Rnas in Chinese Soft-Shell Turtle ()

Overview

Journal Biology (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Biology

Date 2022 Jun 24

PMID 35741355

Authors

Junxian Zhu

Luo Lei

Chen Chen

Yakun Wang

Xiaoli Liu

Lulu Geng

Ruiyang Li

Haigang Chen

Xiaoyou Hong

Lingyun Yu

Chengqing Wei

Wei Li

Xinping Zhu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In aquaculture, the Chinese soft-shelled turtle () is an economically important species with remarkable gender dimorphism in its growth patterns. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon have not been elucidated well. Here, we conducted a whole-transcriptome analysis of the female and male gonads of . Overall, 7833 DE mRNAs, 619 DE lncRNAs, 231 DE circRNAs, and 520 DE miRNAs were identified. Some "star genes" associated with sex differentiation containing , , and were identified. Additionally, some potential genes linked to sex differentiation, such as , , and , were also isolated in . Functional analysis showed that the DE miRNAs and DE ncRNAs were enriched in the pathways related to sex differentiation, including ovarian steroidogenesis, the hippo signaling pathway, and the calcium signaling pathway. Remarkably, a lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network was constructed, containing the key genes associated with sex differentiation, including , , and . Collectively, we constructed a gender dimorphism profile of the female and male gonads of , profoundly contributing to the exploration of the major genes and potential ncRNAs involved in the sex differentiation of . More importantly, we highlighted the potential functions of ncRNAs for gene regulation during sex differentiation in as well as in other turtles.

Citing Articles

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