1. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals key genes and pathways related to gonad development in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.
- Author
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Wei, Ying, Huang, Dexiang, Ye, Zhiqing, Jiang, Zhijing, Ge, Lifei, Ren, Yucheng, Wang, Jixiu, Xu, Xiuwen, Yang, Jingwen, and Wang, Tianming
- Subjects
GONADS ,APOSTICHOPUS japonicus ,SEA cucumbers ,MARINE biology ,GENE regulatory networks ,GENE expression ,SYSTEMS biology - Abstract
The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an economically important marine species in China, and understanding the mechanisms underlying its gonad development is crucial for successful reproduction and breeding. In this study, we performed transcriptome comparisons and analyses of A. japonicus gonadal and non-gonadal tissues to identify genes and molecular pathways associated with gonadal development. We also supplemented the annotation of the A. japonicus genome. Collectively, results revealed a total of 941 ovary-specific genes and 2499 testis-specific genes through different expression analysis and WGCNA analysis. The most enriched pathways in ovary and testis were "DNA replication" and "purine metabolism", respectively. Additionally, we identified key candidate gene modules that control gonad development and germ cell maturation, with CDT1 and DYNC2LI1 serving as hub genes. Our findings provide important insights into the gonadal development system of A. japonicus and offer valuable references for further research on reproductive biology in this marine invertebrate species. [Display omitted] • Comparative analyses of gene expression in sea cucumber gonadal and non-gonadal tissues • Key candidate gene modules specifically expressed by females and males gonad were screened. • The ovarian module with CDT1 as the core gene may affect ovarian development through the pre-replication complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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