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[Display omitted] • IGFBP-rp expression was assessed in the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus. • PtIGFBP-rp and PtIAG share similarity in expression patterns during AG development. • PtIGFBP-rp may be involved in IAG signaling network by direct or indirect regulation of PtIAG gene. The insulin-like growth factor/insulin-like polypeptide (IGF/ILP) signaling is vital for growth, physiological metabolism, development, and reproduction. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein (IGFBP) is involved in the insulin signaling pathway in both vertebrates and invertebrates and is critical for various physiology functions. Herein, we cloned and characterized the full-length cDNA of IGFBP-rp in the swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus (PtIGFBP-rp). The deduced amino acid sequence of PtIGFBP-rp was found to contain three key domains (insulin-like binding (IB) domain, the kazale-type serine protease inhibitor (KAZAL) domain, and the immunoglobulin-like C2 (IGc2) domain). Results showed that PtIGFBP-rp shared the same expression pattern as P. trituberculatus insulin androgenic gland hormone (PtIAG) transcripts during the embryonic larval, juvenile crab stage and the androgenic gland (AG) developmental cycle. Moreover, PtIGFBP-rp transcripts were also present in high abundance in hepatopancreas, muscle, and androgenic glands. The regulatory relationship between PtIGFBP-rp and PtIAG was investigated by RNA interference and co-localization assays, which showed a co-localization relationship and feedback regulation between them. Bilateral eye stalk ablation (ESA) increased the expression of PtIGFBP-rp in the AG at 7 d after surgery. These results demonstrate the involvement of PtIGFBP-rp in the signaling regulatory network of IAG in P. trituberculatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The doublesex/mab-3 related transcription factor (Dmrt) gene family plays a conserved sexual regulatory role in different phyla, thus providing an important clue for studying the sex mechanism of crustaceans. In this study, cDNAs of three Dmrt homologs were cloned and characterized in the swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus (Miers, 1876). Sequence analysis indicated the obtained Dmrts might be orthologs of the invertebrate Dmrt1 (iDmrt1) described in the spiny lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi (H. Milne-Edwards, 1851). Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that the PtiDmrt1 transcripts were highly expressed in testis, muscle, Y-organ, and gill, and in the C2 stage during the developmental process. In addition, RNAi of PtiDmrt1 showed that the gene expression of insulin-like androgenic gland hormone (IAG) decreased remarkably at 24 h after injection, but increased to a higher level than in the control group at 48 h post injection. The results suggested that the PtiDmrt1 is a potential regulator of IAG, although the underlying mechanism may be complicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Similar to the role of juvenile hormone (JH) in insects, methyl farnesoate (MF), the unepoxidized form of JH III, regulates many developmental processes in crustaceans, such as molting and reproduction. We have previously showed that the JH receptor, Methoprene-tolerant (Met), which is also a candidate receptor for MF, might be involved in the MF-mediated vitellogenesis in the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus. In this study, the role of Kruppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1), a transcription factor downstream Met in JH signaling, was further investigated. The deduced protein of Pt-Kr-h1 contained seven repeats of zinc finger motifs, similar to Kr-h1s from other crustacean species, but differing from the eight zinc finger motifs found in insect Kr-h1s. MF treatment in vitro induced the expression of Pt-Kr-h1 in hepatopancreas but not ovary, which is similar to the MF-responsive pattern of Pt-Met as previously reported. Moreover, the expression of Pt-Kr-h1 decreased significantly after treating with Pt-Met dsRNA, strongly indicating that the Pt-Kr-h1 might be involved in the Met-mediated MF signaling pathway. RNAi of Pt-Met and Pt-Kr-h1 both led to a decrease in vitellogenin (Vg) expression, and the reduction cannot be rescued by adding MF, suggesting the regulation of vitellogenesis by MF may act through Met and Kr-h1. These results would help to enhance the current understanding of the regulatory mechanism of MF signaling, and provide a vital resource for further research into the evolution of hormonal pathways in arthropods. Highlights • Seven zinc finger motifs may be a common characteristic for crustacean Kr-h1s. • Kr-h1 is a MF-induced gene in P. trituberculatus. • MF may stimulate the exogenous vitellogenesis through Met and Kr-h1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of long noncoding RNAs with a closed loop structure that regulate gene expression as microRNA sponges. CircRNAs are more enriched in brain tissue, but knowledge of the role of circRNAs in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has remained limited. This study is the first to identify the global expression profiles and characteristics of circRNAs in human temporal cortex tissue from TLE patients. Methods: Temporal cortices were collected from 17 TLE patients and 17 non-TLE patients. Total RNA was isolated, and high-throughput sequencing was used to profile the transcriptome of dysregulated circRNAs. Quantitative PCR was performed for the validation of changed circRNAs. Results: In total, 78983 circRNAs, including 15.29% known and 84.71% novel circRNAs, were detected in this study. Intriguingly, 442 circRNAs were differentially expressed between the TLE and non-TLE groups (fold change≥2.0 and FDR≤0.05). Of these circRNAs, 188 were up-regulated, and 254 were down-regulated in the TLE patient group. Eight circRNAs were validated by real-time PCR. Remarkably, circ-EFCAB2 was intensely up-regulated, while circ-DROSHA expression was significantly lower in the TLE group than in the non-TLE group (P<0.05). Bioinformatic analysis revealed that circ-EFCAB2 binds to miR-485-5p to increase the expression level of the ion channel CLCN6, while circ-DROSHA interacts with miR-1252-5p to decrease the expression level of ATP1A2. Conclusions: The dysregulations of circRNAs may reflect the pathogenesis of TLE and circ-EFCAB2 and circ-DROSHA might be potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers in TLE patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]