Frontiers in Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Social dynamics impact scolding behaviour in captive groups of common ravens (Corvus corax).","authors":"Christian R Blum, W Tecumseh Fitch, Thomas Bugnyar","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00477-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12983-022-00477-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Predator avoidance can have immense impacts on fitness, yet individual variation in the expression of anti-predator behaviour remains largely unexplained. Existing research investigating learning of novel predators has focused either on individuals or groups, but not both. Testing in individual settings allows evaluations of learning or personality differences, while testing in group settings makes it impossible to distinguish any such individual differences from social dynamics. In this study, we investigate the effect of social dynamics on individual anti-predator behaviour. We trained 15 captive ravens to recognize and respond to a novel experimental predator and then exposed them to this predator in both group and isolation settings across 1.5 years to tease apart individual differences from social effects and evaluate two hypotheses: (1) weaker anti-predator responses of some individuals in the group occurred, because they failed to recognize the experimental predator as a threat, leading to weak responses when separated, or (2) some individuals had learned the new threat, but their scolding intensity was repressed in the group trials due to social dynamics (such as dominance rank), leading to increased scolding intensity when alone.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that dominance significantly influences scolding behaviour in the group trials; top-ranked individuals scold more and earlier than lower ranking ones. However, in the separation trials scolding duration is no longer affected by rank.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We speculate that, while top-ranked individuals use their anti-predator responses to signal status in the group, lower-ranking ravens may be suppressed from, or are less capable of, performing intense anti-predator behaviour while in the group. This suggests that, in addition to its recruitment or predator-deterrent effects, alarm calling may serve as a marker of individual quality to conspecifics.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9743665/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10704896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Competitive ability is a fast-evolving trait between house mouse populations (Mus musculus domesticus).","authors":"Miriam Linnenbrink","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00476-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00476-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>House mice are commensal animals with a nearly global distribution, structured into well differentiated local populations. Besides genetic differences between the populations, they have also diverged behaviorally over time, whereby it remains open how fast general behavioral characteristics can change. Here we study the competitive potential of two very recently separated populations of the Western house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) by using two different approaches-one under controlled cage conditions, the other under more natural conditions in enclosures mimicking a secondary encounter condition.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We observe a clear bias in the competitive ability towards one of the populations for both tests. The measured behavioral bias is also reflected in the number of hybrid offspring produced in the enclosures.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our data suggest that key behavioral characteristics with a direct influence on relative fitness can quickly change during the evolution of populations. It seems possible that the colonization situation in Western Europe, with a rapid spread of the mice after their arrival, would have favored more competitive populations at the expansion front. The study shows the possible impact of behavioral changes on the evolution of populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9733109/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10726870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sequencing and assembling bear genomes: the bare necessities.","authors":"Courtney Willey, Ron Korstanje","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00475-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12983-022-00475-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unique genetic adaptations are present in bears of every species across the world. From (nearly) shutting down important organs during hibernation to preventing harm from lifestyles that could easily cause metabolic diseases in humans, bears may hold the answer to various human ailments. However, only a few of these unique traits are currently being investigated at the molecular level, partly because of the lack of necessary tools. One of these tools is well-annotated genome assemblies from the different, extant bear species. These reference genomes are needed to allow us to identify differences in genetic variants, isoforms, gene expression, and genomic features such as transposons and identify those that are associated with biomedical-relevant traits. In this review we assess the current state of the genome assemblies of the eight different bear species, discuss current gaps, and the future benefits these reference genomes may have in informing human biomedical applications, while at the same time improving bear conservation efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2022-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9710173/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10389164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nematocyst sequestration within the family Fionidae (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) considering ecological properties and evolution.","authors":"Irina A Ekimova,&nbsp;Olga A Vorobyeva,&nbsp;Anna L Mikhlina,&nbsp;Dimitry M Schepetov,&nbsp;Elena V Vortsepneva,&nbsp;Tatiana I Antokhina,&nbsp;Vladimir V Malakhov","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00474-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00474-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aeolid nudibranchs are well-known for their ability to incorporate cnidarian nematocysts and use them for defense; this process is tightly linked with the feeding preferences of molluscs. As many nudibranch groups show signs of ecology-based adaptive radiation, studies of prey-based defensive mechanisms can provide valuable insight into details of nudibranch evolutionary history. The main goal of this study is to test the correlation of ecological traits, feeding mechanisms, and prey preferences with cnidosac fine morphology and to pinpoint the phylogenetic value of these traits. We study the cnidosac morphology in thirteen species-representatives of the main lineages within the family Fionidae s.l. The morphological analysis includes histological sections, transmission electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. For phylogenetic study, available molecular data from public repositories were used, and phylogenetic trees were produced based on Bayesian Inference and Maximum likelihood analysis for a concatenated dataset of three molecular markers (COI, 16S, H3). In general, fionid cnidosacs fit the common aeolid pattern, but among different species we detected a high variation in type of obtained nematocysts, their arrangement within cnidophages, and in number of cell types within cnidosacs. We report on presence of cellules speciale in the haemocoel of all studied species, and for the first time, we report on cells with chitinous spindles in the haemocoel of all fionids except Eubranchus. The function of both these cell types remains unknown. The loss of functional cnidosacs occurred at least three times within Fionidae, and in case of the genera Phestilla, Calma, and Fiona, this loss is linked to their non-cnidarian diet. The diversity of cnidosac fine structure within Fionidae s.l. correlates with that of the radular morphology and feeding preferences of each species. Prey shifts between cnidarian and non-cnidarian prey (both through evolutionary shifts and individual variation) rarely occur within Fionidae s.l.; however, microevolutionary shifts between different hydrozoan species within a single genus are more common. Cnidosac morphology demonstrates considerable resulting changes even when switching between similar hydrozoan species, or changing the feeding site on same prey species. These data indicate that cnidosac morphology likely follows microevolutionary prey shifts-in other words, it is affected by switches in prey species and changes in feeding sites with a single prey species. Thus, the cnidosac morphology may be a useful indicator when studying ecological features of particular species.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9670572/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40688316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy acquisition strategy for reproduction in a semelparous squid.","authors":"Dongming Lin,&nbsp;Na Zang,&nbsp;Kai Zhu,&nbsp;Gang Li,&nbsp;Xinjun Chen","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00473-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00473-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Energy demand for reproduction leads to a wide diversity of foraging and life-history strategy among wild animals, linking to a common objective to maximize reproductive success. Semelparous squid species in particular can use up to 50% of the total energy intake for reproduction. However, the energy acquisition strategy for reproduction is still a controversial issue regarding whether the squid shift in diet ontogenetically. Here we used Argentinean shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) as a case study to investigate the strategy of energy acquisition for reproduction, by analyzing energy density of the squid's reproductive tissues including ovary, nidamental glands and oviduct eggs, and stable isotopes and fatty acids of the squid's ovary.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The reproductive energy (the sum of the energy accumulated in ovary, nidamental glands and oviduct eggs) increased significantly with maturation. The ovary nitrogen stable isotopes (δ¹⁵N) showed a significant increase with maturation, but the increase by maturity stage was not equal to the typical enrichment of about 3‰ per trophic level. Isotopic niche width showed an increasing trend with maturation, and isotopic niche space exhibited greater overlap at advanced maturity stages. The relative amounts of 16:0, 20:5n3 and 20:4n6 in the ovary, tracing for carnivores and top predators, increased after the onset of maturation. The overall fatty acid profiles of the ovary showed significant differences among maturity stages, but obvious overlaps were found for mature squids. Mixed-effects model results revealed that reproductive energy was positively correlated with δ¹⁵N values. The reproductive energy was also positively related to the relative amounts of 18:0 and 20:4n6, respectively tracing for herbivores and top predators.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results validate that the squid shifts to feed on higher trophic prey for reproduction as energy demand increases once maturation commences. However, the squid does not shift feeding habits at a trophic level but instead broadens prey spectrum, coupled with increasing intake of higher trophic prey items, to meet the energy demand for reproduction. Such energy acquisition strategy may be selected by the squid to maximize reproductive success by balancing energy intake and expenditure from foraging, warranting future studies that aim to clarify such strategy for reproduction among semelparous species.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9670511/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40491078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tissue dissociation for single-cell and single-nuclei RNA sequencing for low amounts of input material.","authors":"Gordon Wiegleb,&nbsp;Susanne Reinhardt,&nbsp;Andreas Dahl,&nbsp;Nico Posnien","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00472-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00472-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Recent technological advances opened the opportunity to simultaneously study gene expression for thousands of individual cells on a genome-wide scale. The experimental accessibility of such single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) approaches allowed gaining insights into the cell type composition of heterogeneous tissue samples of animal model systems and emerging models alike. A major prerequisite for a successful application of the method is the dissociation of complex tissues into individual cells, which often requires large amounts of input material and harsh mechanical, chemical and temperature conditions. However, the availability of tissue material may be limited for small animals, specific organs, certain developmental stages or if samples need to be acquired from collected specimens. Therefore, we evaluated different dissociation protocols to obtain single cells from small tissue samples of Drosophila melanogaster eye-antennal imaginal discs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We show that a combination of mechanical and chemical dissociation resulted in sufficient high-quality cells. As an alternative, we tested protocols for the isolation of single nuclei, which turned out to be highly efficient for fresh and frozen tissue samples. Eventually, we performed scRNAseq and single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNAseq) to show that the best protocols for both methods successfully identified relevant cell types. At the same time, snRNAseq resulted in less artificial gene expression that is caused by rather harsh dissociation conditions needed to obtain single cells for scRNAseq. A direct comparison of scRNAseq and snRNAseq data revealed that both datasets share biologically relevant genes among the most variable genes, and we showed differences in the relative contribution of the two approaches to identified cell types.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We present two dissociation protocols that allow isolating single cells and single nuclei, respectively, from low input material. Both protocols resulted in extraction of high-quality RNA for subsequent scRNAseq or snRNAseq applications. If tissue availability is limited, we recommend the snRNAseq procedure of fresh or frozen tissue samples as it is perfectly suited to obtain thorough insights into cellular diversity of complex tissue.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9652833/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40465579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Laboratory study of Fritillaria lifecycle reveals key morphogenetic events leading to genus-specific anatomy.","authors":"Simon Henriet,&nbsp;Anne Aasjord,&nbsp;Daniel Chourrout","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00471-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00471-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A fascinating variety of adult body plans can be found in the Tunicates, the closest existing relatives of vertebrates. A distinctive feature of the larvacean class of pelagic tunicates is the presence of a highly specialized surface epithelium that produces a cellulose test, the \"larvacean house\". While substantial differences exist between the anatomy of larvacean families, most of the ontogeny is derived from the observations of a single genus, Oikopleura. We present the first study of Fritillaria development based on the observation of individuals reproduced in the laboratory. Like the other small epipelagic species Oikopleura dioica, the larvae of Fritillaria borealis grow rapidly in the laboratory, and they acquire the adult form within a day. We could show that major morphological differences exhibited by Fritillaria and Oikopleura adults originate from a key developmental stage during larval organogenesis. Here, the surface epithelium progressively retracts from the posterior digestive organs of Fritillaria larvae, and it establishes house-producing territories around the pharynx. Our results show that the divergence between larvacean genera was associated with a profound rearrangement of the mechanisms controlling the differentiation of the larval ectoderm.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9617304/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40654791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Realized niche shift of an invasive widow spider: drivers and impacts of human activities.","authors":"Zhenhua Luo,&nbsp;Monica A Mowery,&nbsp;Xinlan Cheng,&nbsp;Qing Yang,&nbsp;Junhua Hu,&nbsp;Maydianne C B Andrade","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00470-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00470-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Predicting invasiveness requires an understanding of the propensity of a given species to thrive in areas with novel ecological challenges. Evaluation of realized niche shift of an invasive species in its invasive range, detecting the main drivers of the realized niche shift, and predicting the potential distribution of the species can provide important information for the management of populations of invasive species and the conservation of biodiversity. The Australian redback spider, Latrodectus hasselti, is a widow spider that is native to Australia and established in Japan, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. We used ecological niche models and ordinal comparisons in an integrative method to compare the realized niches of native and invasive populations of this spider species. We also assessed the impact of several climatic predictor variables and human activity on this niche shift. We hypothesized that human impact is important for successful establishment of this anthropophilic species, and that climatic predictor variables may determine suitable habitat and thus predict invasive ranges.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our models showed that L. hasselti distributions are positively influenced by human impact in both of the native and invasive ranges. Maximum temperature was the most important climatic variable in predictions of the distribution of native populations, while precipitation seasonality was the most important in predictions of invasive populations. The realized niche of L. hasselti in its invasive range differed from that in its native range, indicating possible realized niche shift.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We infer that a preference for human-disturbed environments may underlie invasion and establishment in this spider species, as anthropogenic habitat modifications could provide shelters from unsuitable climatic conditions and extreme climatic stresses to the spiders. Because Australia and the countries in which the species is invasive have differing climates, differences in the availability of certain climatic conditions could have played a role in the realized niche shift of L. hasselti.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9617396/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40442272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights into the evolution of portunoid swimming crabs (Portunoidea, Heterotremata, Brachyura) and the brachyuran axial skeleton.","authors":"Dennis Hazerli,&nbsp;Christoph Gert Höpel,&nbsp;Stefan Richter","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00467-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00467-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Portunoidea (Heterotremata) is a morphologically disparate taxon of true crabs (Brachyura) best-known for many of its representatives being considered \"swimming crabs\". The term \"swimming crab\", however, sometimes refers to a distinct taxon (traditionally to Portunidae within Portunoidea), and sometimes to a certain morphotype in which the 5th pereiopod (P5) has a specific shape that facilitates swimming. We use the term \"P5-swimming crab\" or \"P5-swimmer\" herein, not only to restrict it to the morphotype, but also to distinguish the swimming in question from other kinds of swimming in Brachyura. The evolution of P5-swimming crabs has not yet been satisfactorily investigated. In particular, it is not known whether the morphotype evolved several times independently in different lineages of Portunoidea or whether it evolved only once and was lost in several lineages. Ours is the first approach combining molecular with morphological data to result in a new phylogenetic positioning of some members of Portunoidea. For the first time, data from the axial skeleton and extrinsic musculature are used. Morphological examinations reveal that the axial skeleton and extrinsic musculature in P5-swimming crabs are more diverse than previously thought, with the exception of the P5 anterior coxa muscle, which originates at the median plate in all P5-swimmers. Ancestral state reconstructions based on parsimony reveal that the stem species of Portunoidea already showed the morphotype of a P5-swimming crab, but with a long merus which probably resulted in less effective P5-swimming than in extant P5-swimming crab species with a short merus. Several other extant taxa represent a reversal of the P5-swimmer morphotype to varying degrees, with some extant species showing a complete reversal of unambiguous P5-swimming crab character states-one example being the well-known common shore crab Carcinus maenas. The absence of a connection between interosternite 7/8 and the sella turcica (the secondary loss of the \"brachyuran sella turcica\") in the stem species of Heterotremata, resulting in a junction plate which forms a cavity that offers room and attachment sites for the P5 extrinsic musculature is uncovered as preadaptation to the P5-swimmer morphotype in Heterotremata. This preadaptation is missing in Podotremata and Thoracotremata, the other two traditional main taxa of Brachyura.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9609296/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10531538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MiR-34b/c play a role in early sex differentiation of Amur sturgeon, Acipenser schrenckii.","authors":"Xiujuan Zhang,&nbsp;Wenhua Wu,&nbsp;Jiabin Zhou,&nbsp;Linmiao Li,&nbsp;Haiying Jiang,&nbsp;Jinping Chen","doi":"10.1186/s12983-022-00469-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-022-00469-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sex differentiation can be viewed as a controlled regulatory balance between sex differentiation-related mRNAs and post-transcriptional mechanisms mediated by non-coding RNAs. In mammals, increasing evidence has been reported regarding the importance of gonad-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in sex differentiation. Although many fishes express a large number of gonadal miRNAs, the effects of these sex-biased miRNAs on sex differentiation in teleost fish remain unknown. Previous studies have shown the exclusive and sexually dimorphic expression of miR-34b/c in the gonads of the Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii), suggesting its potential role in the sex differentiation process.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), we observed that miR-34b/c showed consistent spatiotemporal expression patterns; the expression levels significantly increased during early sex differentiation. Using in situ hybridization, miR-34c was found to be located in the germ cells. In primary germ cells in vitro, the group subjected to overexpression and inhibition of miR-34c showed significantly higher proliferation ability and lower apoptosis, respectively, compared to the corresponding control group. Luciferase reporter assays using the ar-3'UTR-psiCHECK-2 luciferase vector suggested a targeted regulatory interaction between miR-34b/c and the 3'UTR of the androgen receptor (ar) mRNA. Furthermore, miR-34b/c and ar showed negative expression patterns during early sex differentiation. Additionally, a negative feedback regulation pattern was observed between foxl2 expression in the ovaries and amh and sox9 expression in the testes during early sex differentiation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study sheds new light on the roles of miR-34b/c in gonad development of Amur sturgeon, and provides the first comprehensive evidence that the gonad-predominant microRNAs may have a major role in sex differentiation in teleost fish.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2022-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9511750/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40373149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}