Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression in the Gonads of <i>Brachymystax tsinlingensis</i> Li
Ling Huang,
Huan Ye,
Huamei Yue,
Xiaoqian Leng,
Rui Ruan,
Hao Du,
Chuangju Li,
Jinming Wu
Affiliations
Ling Huang
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Huan Ye
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Huamei Yue
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Xiaoqian Leng
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Rui Ruan
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Hao Du
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Chuangju Li
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Jinming Wu
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, China
Brachymystax tsinlingensis Li is an endangered cold-water salmonid fish native to China. This study aimed to identify sex-related genes and biological pathways via gonadal transcriptome sequencing of B. tsinlingensis Li. A total of 167,904 unigenes were identified with an average length of 836 bp and an N50 of 1452 bp, of which 84,977 (50.61%) unigenes were successfully annotated in six major databases. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified 22,864 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 17,231 were up-regulated (male-biased genes, mDEGs) and 5633 were down-regulated (female-biased genes, fDEGs). Several DEGs associated with gonadal development were found through Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, such as ccnb1, zp3, bmp15, dmrt1, and psmc3ip. Signaling pathways related to gonadal development were found to be enriched through analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database, such as genes involves in base excision repair, the notch signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, the VEGF signaling pathway, and the estrogen signaling pathway. In addition, mRNA expression levels of 19 DEGs were determined to validate the reliability of the transcriptomic data by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. These results revealed genes and signaling pathways potentially involved in gonadal development in B. tsinlingensis Li and provided basic molecular data for future research on reproductive regulation and breeding of B. tsinlingensis Li.
