Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>

Corazonin (Crz) is widely found in insects and crustaceans. In insects, Crz participates in the regulation of various physiological activities, including heartbeat, body color change, molting, and reproduction. However, the physiological effects of Crz in crustaceans remain largely unclear. In this...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shiying Yang, Liangjie Liu, Yiwei Tang, An Liu, Haihui Ye
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Fishes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/7/329
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849246558236704768
author Shiying Yang
Liangjie Liu
Yiwei Tang
An Liu
Haihui Ye
author_facet Shiying Yang
Liangjie Liu
Yiwei Tang
An Liu
Haihui Ye
author_sort Shiying Yang
collection DOAJ
description Corazonin (Crz) is widely found in insects and crustaceans. In insects, Crz participates in the regulation of various physiological activities, including heartbeat, body color change, molting, and reproduction. However, the physiological effects of Crz in crustaceans remain largely unclear. In this study, the cDNAs encoding Crz and its putative receptor were isolated from the mud crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>. Tissue distribution analysis revealed that <i>Sp-Crz</i> was predominantly expressed in neural tissues, while its receptor (<i>Sp-CrzR</i>) was widely expressed in <i>S. paramamosain</i>, with a high expression level in the Y-organ. During ovarian development, <i>Sp-Crz</i> expression in the eyestalk ganglion was upregulated at the early and late vitellogenic stages, whereas its expression level in the cerebral ganglion displayed an initial downregulation at the early stage, followed by a remarkable upregulation at the late vitellogenic stage. The expression level of <i>Sp-CrzR</i> mRNA in the ovary increased significantly at the late vitellogenic stage. However, an opposite expression pattern was observed in the hepatopancreas and Y-organ. The immunohistochemistry result showed that <i>Sp</i>-Crz was distributed in the cells of the lamina ganglionaris, the medulla interna, and the X-organ of the eyestalk ganglion. It was revealed that the level of <i>Sp-Vg</i> in the hepatopancreas was not affected by the addition of <i>Sp</i>-Crz in vitro. However, the expression of <i>Sp-VgR</i> in ovarian explants was significantly induced by 6 h treatment with <i>Sp</i>-Crz at a concentration of 1 nM. In addition, the level of <i>Sp-VgR</i> in the ovary was significantly upregulated by 12 h injection of <i>Sp</i>-Crz. After long-term administration of <i>Sp</i>-Crz, the expression of <i>Sp-VgR</i> in the ovary, the E<sub>2</sub> content in hemolymph, the oocyte diameter, and the gonadosomatic index of <i>S. paramamosain</i> were significantly increased. In summary, these findings collectively indicate that the <i>Sp</i>-Crz signaling system participates in regulating the ovarian development of the mud crab. This study provides a new insight into the biological function of Crz during the ovarian development of the mud crab, which is of great significance for the sustainable development and utilization of mud crab resources.
format Article
id doaj-art-63a6508048e842eab76791e4b2dc40f4
institution Kabale University
issn 2410-3888
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Fishes
spelling doaj-art-63a6508048e842eab76791e4b2dc40f42025-08-20T03:58:27ZengMDPI AGFishes2410-38882025-07-0110732910.3390/fishes10070329Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>Shiying Yang0Liangjie Liu1Yiwei Tang2An Liu3Haihui Ye4State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Mariculture Breeding, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, ChinaCorazonin (Crz) is widely found in insects and crustaceans. In insects, Crz participates in the regulation of various physiological activities, including heartbeat, body color change, molting, and reproduction. However, the physiological effects of Crz in crustaceans remain largely unclear. In this study, the cDNAs encoding Crz and its putative receptor were isolated from the mud crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>. Tissue distribution analysis revealed that <i>Sp-Crz</i> was predominantly expressed in neural tissues, while its receptor (<i>Sp-CrzR</i>) was widely expressed in <i>S. paramamosain</i>, with a high expression level in the Y-organ. During ovarian development, <i>Sp-Crz</i> expression in the eyestalk ganglion was upregulated at the early and late vitellogenic stages, whereas its expression level in the cerebral ganglion displayed an initial downregulation at the early stage, followed by a remarkable upregulation at the late vitellogenic stage. The expression level of <i>Sp-CrzR</i> mRNA in the ovary increased significantly at the late vitellogenic stage. However, an opposite expression pattern was observed in the hepatopancreas and Y-organ. The immunohistochemistry result showed that <i>Sp</i>-Crz was distributed in the cells of the lamina ganglionaris, the medulla interna, and the X-organ of the eyestalk ganglion. It was revealed that the level of <i>Sp-Vg</i> in the hepatopancreas was not affected by the addition of <i>Sp</i>-Crz in vitro. However, the expression of <i>Sp-VgR</i> in ovarian explants was significantly induced by 6 h treatment with <i>Sp</i>-Crz at a concentration of 1 nM. In addition, the level of <i>Sp-VgR</i> in the ovary was significantly upregulated by 12 h injection of <i>Sp</i>-Crz. After long-term administration of <i>Sp</i>-Crz, the expression of <i>Sp-VgR</i> in the ovary, the E<sub>2</sub> content in hemolymph, the oocyte diameter, and the gonadosomatic index of <i>S. paramamosain</i> were significantly increased. In summary, these findings collectively indicate that the <i>Sp</i>-Crz signaling system participates in regulating the ovarian development of the mud crab. This study provides a new insight into the biological function of Crz during the ovarian development of the mud crab, which is of great significance for the sustainable development and utilization of mud crab resources.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/7/329corazonincorazonin receptorovarian developmentmud crab
spellingShingle Shiying Yang
Liangjie Liu
Yiwei Tang
An Liu
Haihui Ye
Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>
Fishes
corazonin
corazonin receptor
ovarian development
mud crab
title Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>
title_full Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>
title_fullStr Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>
title_full_unstemmed Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>
title_short Characterization and Analysis of the Role of Corazonin in Regulating Ovarian Development in the Mud Crab <i>Scylla paramamosain</i>
title_sort characterization and analysis of the role of corazonin in regulating ovarian development in the mud crab i scylla paramamosain i
topic corazonin
corazonin receptor
ovarian development
mud crab
url https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/7/329
work_keys_str_mv AT shiyingyang characterizationandanalysisoftheroleofcorazonininregulatingovariandevelopmentinthemudcrabiscyllaparamamosaini
AT liangjieliu characterizationandanalysisoftheroleofcorazonininregulatingovariandevelopmentinthemudcrabiscyllaparamamosaini
AT yiweitang characterizationandanalysisoftheroleofcorazonininregulatingovariandevelopmentinthemudcrabiscyllaparamamosaini
AT anliu characterizationandanalysisoftheroleofcorazonininregulatingovariandevelopmentinthemudcrabiscyllaparamamosaini
AT haihuiye characterizationandanalysisoftheroleofcorazonininregulatingovariandevelopmentinthemudcrabiscyllaparamamosaini