Comparative temporal transcriptome analysis identifies genes involved in gonadal differentiation and development in Pacific abalone

IF 0.9 Q4 GENETICS & HEREDITY

Gene Reports Pub Date : 2025-09-13 DOI:10.1016/j.genrep.2025.102334

Yuanyuan Huang , Xiaobin Ye , Chaonan Tang , Xuan Luo , Weiwei You , Caihuan Ke , Mingyi Cai

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Abstract

The mechanisms governing sex determination and gonadal differentiation in mollusks remain largely unresolved. To characterize transcriptional regulation during early gonadal development in Haliotis discus hannai, a temporal transcriptomic analysis was conducted across six developmental stages. The results revealed a two-phase differentiation model. In Phase I (240–270 days post-fertilization), male and female gonads exhibited highly similar expression profiles, with few sex-biased genes. In Phase II (284 dpf to 24-month-old), a marked increase in sex-biased gene expression was observed, coinciding with functional divergence of gonads. Across all stages, 75 consistently sex-biased genes were identified, including evolutionarily conserved regulators such as Dmrt1, Foxl2, and Sohlh2, supporting their central roles in testicular and ovarian development. Co-expression network analysis uncovered distinct sex-associated gene modules: female-enriched modules featured Foxl2 and oocyte-related genes, while male-associated modules included Dmrt1 and spermatogenesis regulators. Additionally, sex-biased expression of genes involved in circadian rhythm and phototransduction suggests environmental cues may influence gonadal development. Together, these findings establish a dynamic regulatory framework for sex differentiation in abalone, integrating conserved genetic factors with environmentally responsive pathways. This work provides important insights into molluscan reproductive biology and lays a foundation for future applications in sex control and aquaculture breeding.

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比较时间转录组分析确定了太平洋鲍鱼性腺分化和发育相关的基因

软体动物性别决定和性腺分化的机制仍未完全阐明。为了描述在早期生殖腺发育中的转录调控，在六个发育阶段进行了时间转录组学分析。结果揭示了一个两相分化模型。在第一阶段（受精后240-270天），雄性和雌性性腺表现出高度相似的表达谱，很少有性别偏向基因。在II期（284 dpf至24月龄），观察到性别偏倚基因表达显著增加，与性腺功能分化相一致。在所有阶段，鉴定出75个持续的性别偏向基因，包括进化上保守的调节因子，如Dmrt1、Foxl2和Sohlh2，支持它们在睾丸和卵巢发育中的核心作用。共表达网络分析揭示了不同的性别相关基因模块：女性富集模块包括Foxl2和卵母细胞相关基因，而男性相关模块包括Dmrt1和精子发生调节因子。此外，参与昼夜节律和光转导的基因的性别偏倚表达表明，环境因素可能影响性腺发育。总之，这些发现建立了鲍鱼性别分化的动态调控框架，将保守的遗传因素与环境响应途径相结合。本研究为软体动物生殖生物学的研究提供了重要的见解，为今后软体动物在性别控制和水产养殖中的应用奠定了基础。

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来源期刊

Gene Reports Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Genetics

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

7.70%

发文量

246

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Gene Reports publishes papers that focus on the regulation, expression, function and evolution of genes in all biological contexts, including all prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, as well as viruses. Gene Reports strives to be a very diverse journal and topics in all fields will be considered for publication. Although not limited to the following, some general topics include: DNA Organization, Replication & Evolution -Focus on genomic DNA (chromosomal organization, comparative genomics, DNA replication, DNA repair, mobile DNA, mitochondrial DNA, chloroplast DNA). Expression & Function - Focus on functional RNAs (microRNAs, tRNAs, rRNAs, mRNA splicing, alternative polyadenylation) Regulation - Focus on processes that mediate gene-read out (epigenetics, chromatin, histone code, transcription, translation, protein degradation). Cell Signaling - Focus on mechanisms that control information flow into the nucleus to control gene expression (kinase and phosphatase pathways controlled by extra-cellular ligands, Wnt, Notch, TGFbeta/BMPs, FGFs, IGFs etc.) Profiling of gene expression and genetic variation - Focus on high throughput approaches (e.g., DeepSeq, ChIP-Seq, Affymetrix microarrays, proteomics) that define gene regulatory circuitry, molecular pathways and protein/protein networks. Genetics - Focus on development in model organisms (e.g., mouse, frog, fruit fly, worm), human genetic variation, population genetics, as well as agricultural and veterinary genetics. Molecular Pathology & Regenerative Medicine - Focus on the deregulation of molecular processes in human diseases and mechanisms supporting regeneration of tissues through pluripotent or multipotent stem cells.