Transcriptome Sequencing and Analysis of Male Fourfinger Threadfin, Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804)

Abstract

Fourfinger threadfin, Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw, 1804), is one of the country’s most popular table fish species. This is a priority species for mariculture in India. Reproductive biology, life cycle, culture, and management are some budding research areas, while there is a lacuna in the species' genetic information. Using Illumina next-generation sequencing technique, 82,072 mRNA transcripts in the mature testis of fourfinger threadfin were obtained. The present study attempted to understand the expression of genes that facilitate sex determination, sex differentiation and gonadal maturation. From 82,072 transcripts, 50,943 were predicted by comparing them to proteins in UniProt using BLASTX. A total of 41 genes involved in sex determination and sex differentiation, spermatogenesis, steroid receptors in testis, steroidogenesis and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) regulation are reported for the first time in E. tetradactylum. The entire raw sequencing reads of transcripts were made available in NCBI under BioProject PRJNA770837.