Molecular Characterization, Expression Pattern, DNA Methylation and Gene Disruption of <i>Figla</i> in Blotched Snakehead (<i>Channa maculata</i>)
Yang Zhang,
Yuntao Lu,
Feng Xu,
Xiaotian Zhang,
Yuxia Wu,
Jian Zhao,
Qing Luo,
Haiyang Liu,
Kunci Chen,
Shuzhan Fei,
Xiaojuan Cui,
Yuandong Sun,
Mi Ou
Affiliations
Yang Zhang
School of Life Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
Yuntao Lu
School of Life Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
Feng Xu
Chongqing Fisheries Technical Extension Center, Chongqing 404100, China
Xiaotian Zhang
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Yuxia Wu
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Jian Zhao
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Qing Luo
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Haiyang Liu
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Kunci Chen
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Shuzhan Fei
Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resources Application and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, China
Xiaojuan Cui
School of Life Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
Yuandong Sun
School of Life Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
Mi Ou
School of Life Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
Figla is one of the earliest expressed genes in the oocyte during ovarian development. In this study, Figla was characterized in C. maculata, one of the main aquaculture species in China, and designated as CmFigla. The length of CmFigla cDNA was 1303 bp, encoding 197 amino acids that contained a conserved bHLH domain. CmFigla revealed a female-biased expression patterns in the gonads of adult fish, and CmFigla expression was far higher in ovaries than that in testes at all gonadal development stages, especially at 60~180 days post-fertilization (dpf). Furthermore, a noteworthy inverse relationship was observed between CmFigla expression and the methylation of its promoter in the adult gonads. Gonads at 90 dpf were used for in situ hybridization (ISH), and CmFigla transcripts were mainly concentrated in oogonia and the primary oocytes in ovaries, but undetectable in the testes. These results indicated that Figla would play vital roles in the ovarian development in C. maculata. Additionally, the frame-shift mutations of CmFigla were successfully constructed through the CRISPR/Cas9 system, which established a positive foundation for further investigation on the role of Figla in the ovarian development of C. maculata. Our study provides valuable clues for exploring the regulatory mechanism of Figla in the fish ovarian development and maintenance, which would be useful for the sex control and reproduction of fish in aquaculture.
