Sex-Based Variation of Gene Expression in the Gonads and Fins of Russian Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser gueldenstaedtii</i>)

• 作者: Gad Degani Akram Hajouj Avshalom Hurvitz
• 来源期刊: 动物科学期刊(英文)
• 学科: 医学
• 关键词: ACIPENSER Gene Expression Sexual Maturation Gonads Sex Markers
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（1）
• 页码范围: 1-10
• 页数: 10页
• 分类号: R73

摘要

Russian sturgeon (<i></span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Acipenser gueldenstaedtii</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">) is a primitive freshwater fish and a source of black caviar.</span></span><span style="font-family:""> </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">The genes involved in sexual determination and differentiation are still unknown and there are no molecular markers for sex identification in this species. Studying the variation of the sex-based differences in genomic sequences and in gene expression in the sturgeon may lead to markers of sex in early stages of development and advances in aquaculture, as well as provide novel insights about the evolution of reproduction, sex determination, and sexual differentiation mechanisms in vertebrates. Previous studies by our and other groups have identified differentially expressed genes in the gonads of adult female and male sturgeon. The current study aimed to test whether these ge</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">nes were also differentially expressed in non-gonadal tissue, namely fins. We measured by qRT-PCR the mRNA levels of 29 known and novel sex-related genes in the gonads and fins of males (4 years old) and females (7 years old;sexual maturation is earlier in males than in females). Six genes (ATP6, IGFRM, LIA1A, S1A, NPL1A, GAPDH and SOX9) showed higher expression in female fin</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s. However, only ATP6 mRNA levels differed in fins of males and females of the same age (4 years old). These findings underscore the impracticality of sex identification based on gene expression in non-gonadal</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> tissue and the need for genetic sex markers in the Russian sturgeon.