Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (<i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>) is an economically important species in aquaculture, and its growth pattern is characterized by significant sexual dimorphism. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon have mostly been investigated in the...

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Main Authors: Pan Liu, Yanchao Liu, Junxian Zhu, Chen Chen, Liqin Ji, Xiaoli Liu, Xiaoyou Hong, Chengqing Wei, Xinping Zhu, Qiaoqing Xu, Jiang Zhou, Wei Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3426
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author Pan Liu
Yanchao Liu
Junxian Zhu
Chen Chen
Liqin Ji
Xiaoli Liu
Xiaoyou Hong
Chengqing Wei
Xinping Zhu
Qiaoqing Xu
Jiang Zhou
Wei Li
author_facet Pan Liu
Yanchao Liu
Junxian Zhu
Chen Chen
Liqin Ji
Xiaoli Liu
Xiaoyou Hong
Chengqing Wei
Xinping Zhu
Qiaoqing Xu
Jiang Zhou
Wei Li
author_sort Pan Liu
collection DOAJ
description The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (<i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>) is an economically important species in aquaculture, and its growth pattern is characterized by significant sexual dimorphism. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon have mostly been investigated in the gonadal tissues of <i>P. sinensis</i>, and there are no articles on sex differentiation from the brain of <i>P. sinensis</i>. Here, we analyzed transcriptomes of the brains of adult male and female <i>P. sinensis</i> using high-throughput Illumina sequencing technology, establishing a set of differential genes and differential transcription factors. The data showed that there were 908 genes with significant differences in expression, of which 357 genes were up-regulated and 551 genes were down-regulated. We annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and screened some genes and pathways related to growth. There were 282 growth-related differential genes and 181 sex-related differential genes. We screened the genes’ growth hormone receptor (<i>GHR</i>) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (<i>VEGFA</i>), which may be related to the growth of <i>P. sinensis</i>. The pathways related to the growth and development of <i>P. sinensis</i> are the growth hormone synthesis, secretion, and action pathway; the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway; and the calcium signaling pathway. In addition, through gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), we screened out two genes, LIM homeobox protein 1 (<i>LHX1</i>) and fibroblast growth factor 7 (<i>FGF7</i>), which are related to both growth and sex differentiation, and through protein interaction analysis of these genes, we screened out eight genes, including <i>LHX1</i>, <i>FGF7</i>, <i>GHR</i>, fibroblast growth factor 4 (<i>FGF4</i>), <i>EGFR</i>, <i>BMP3</i>, GLI family zinc finger 2 (<i>GLI2</i>), and neuronal differentiation 1 (<i>NEUROD1</i>), and verified the expression levels of these eight genes in the brain of the <i>P. sinensis</i> by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), which supported the reliability and accuracy of our transcriptome analysis. Our study provides a solid foundation for analyzing the mechanisms of sexual-dimorphic growth of <i>P. sinensis</i> and even other turtles.
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spelling doaj-art-ee55cd7600be4a388d6270b1bbfef5562025-08-20T02:50:17ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-11-011423342610.3390/ani14233426Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>Pan Liu0Yanchao Liu1Junxian Zhu2Chen Chen3Liqin Ji4Xiaoli Liu5Xiaoyou Hong6Chengqing Wei7Xinping Zhu8Qiaoqing Xu9Jiang Zhou10Wei Li11College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434020, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434020, ChinaCollege of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434020, ChinaKey Laboratory of Tropical & Subtropical Fishery Resource Application & Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510380, ChinaThe Chinese soft-shelled turtle (<i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>) is an economically important species in aquaculture, and its growth pattern is characterized by significant sexual dimorphism. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon have mostly been investigated in the gonadal tissues of <i>P. sinensis</i>, and there are no articles on sex differentiation from the brain of <i>P. sinensis</i>. Here, we analyzed transcriptomes of the brains of adult male and female <i>P. sinensis</i> using high-throughput Illumina sequencing technology, establishing a set of differential genes and differential transcription factors. The data showed that there were 908 genes with significant differences in expression, of which 357 genes were up-regulated and 551 genes were down-regulated. We annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and screened some genes and pathways related to growth. There were 282 growth-related differential genes and 181 sex-related differential genes. We screened the genes’ growth hormone receptor (<i>GHR</i>) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (<i>VEGFA</i>), which may be related to the growth of <i>P. sinensis</i>. The pathways related to the growth and development of <i>P. sinensis</i> are the growth hormone synthesis, secretion, and action pathway; the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway; and the calcium signaling pathway. In addition, through gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), we screened out two genes, LIM homeobox protein 1 (<i>LHX1</i>) and fibroblast growth factor 7 (<i>FGF7</i>), which are related to both growth and sex differentiation, and through protein interaction analysis of these genes, we screened out eight genes, including <i>LHX1</i>, <i>FGF7</i>, <i>GHR</i>, fibroblast growth factor 4 (<i>FGF4</i>), <i>EGFR</i>, <i>BMP3</i>, GLI family zinc finger 2 (<i>GLI2</i>), and neuronal differentiation 1 (<i>NEUROD1</i>), and verified the expression levels of these eight genes in the brain of the <i>P. sinensis</i> by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), which supported the reliability and accuracy of our transcriptome analysis. Our study provides a solid foundation for analyzing the mechanisms of sexual-dimorphic growth of <i>P. sinensis</i> and even other turtles.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3426<i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>RNA sequencingsex-dimorphic growthbrain
spellingShingle Pan Liu
Yanchao Liu
Junxian Zhu
Chen Chen
Liqin Ji
Xiaoli Liu
Xiaoyou Hong
Chengqing Wei
Xinping Zhu
Qiaoqing Xu
Jiang Zhou
Wei Li
Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
Animals
<i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
RNA sequencing
sex-dimorphic growth
brain
title Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
title_full Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
title_fullStr Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
title_full_unstemmed Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
title_short Sex-Dimorphic Differential Expression Profiles in the Brain of the Adult Chinese Soft-Shelled Turtle, <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
title_sort sex dimorphic differential expression profiles in the brain of the adult chinese soft shelled turtle i pelodiscus sinensis i
topic <i>Pelodiscus sinensis</i>
RNA sequencing
sex-dimorphic growth
brain
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3426
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