Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc
Abstract Despite the prevalence of sex in animal kingdom, we have only limited understanding of how sex is determined and evolved in many taxa. The mollusc Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas exhibits complex modes of sexual reproduction that consists of protandric dioecy, sex change, and occasional he...
Published in: | G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics |
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2014
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.013904 http://academic.oup.com/g3journal/article-pdf/4/11/2207/37182484/g3journal2207.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1534/g3.114.013904 2024-06-23T07:52:16+00:00 Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc Zhang, Na Xu, Fei Guo, Ximing 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.013904 http://academic.oup.com/g3journal/article-pdf/4/11/2207/37182484/g3journal2207.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics volume 4, issue 11, page 2207-2217 ISSN 2160-1836 journal-article 2014 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.013904 2024-06-11T04:21:44Z Abstract Despite the prevalence of sex in animal kingdom, we have only limited understanding of how sex is determined and evolved in many taxa. The mollusc Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas exhibits complex modes of sexual reproduction that consists of protandric dioecy, sex change, and occasional hermaphroditism. This complex system is controlled by both environmental and genetic factors through unknown molecular mechanisms. In this study, we investigated genes related to sex-determining pathways in C. gigas through transcriptome sequencing and analysis of female and male gonads. Our analysis identified or confirmed novel homologs in the oyster of key sex-determining genes (SoxH or Sry-like and FoxL2) that were thought to be vertebrate-specific. Their expression profile in C. gigas is consistent with conserved roles in sex determination, under a proposed model where a novel testis-determining CgSoxH may serve as a primary regulator, directly or indirectly interacting with a testis-promoting CgDsx and an ovary-promoting CgFoxL2. Our findings plus previous results suggest that key vertebrate sex-determining genes such as Sry and FoxL2 may not be inventions of vertebrates. The presence of such genes in a mollusc with expression profiles consistent with expected roles in sex determination suggest that sex determination may be deeply conserved in animals, despite rapid evolution of the regulatory pathways that in C. gigas may involve both genetic and environmental factors. Article in Journal/Newspaper Crassostrea gigas Pacific oyster Oxford University Press Pacific G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics 4 11 2207 2217 |
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Open Polar |
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Oxford University Press |
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croxfordunivpr |
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English |
description |
Abstract Despite the prevalence of sex in animal kingdom, we have only limited understanding of how sex is determined and evolved in many taxa. The mollusc Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas exhibits complex modes of sexual reproduction that consists of protandric dioecy, sex change, and occasional hermaphroditism. This complex system is controlled by both environmental and genetic factors through unknown molecular mechanisms. In this study, we investigated genes related to sex-determining pathways in C. gigas through transcriptome sequencing and analysis of female and male gonads. Our analysis identified or confirmed novel homologs in the oyster of key sex-determining genes (SoxH or Sry-like and FoxL2) that were thought to be vertebrate-specific. Their expression profile in C. gigas is consistent with conserved roles in sex determination, under a proposed model where a novel testis-determining CgSoxH may serve as a primary regulator, directly or indirectly interacting with a testis-promoting CgDsx and an ovary-promoting CgFoxL2. Our findings plus previous results suggest that key vertebrate sex-determining genes such as Sry and FoxL2 may not be inventions of vertebrates. The presence of such genes in a mollusc with expression profiles consistent with expected roles in sex determination suggest that sex determination may be deeply conserved in animals, despite rapid evolution of the regulatory pathways that in C. gigas may involve both genetic and environmental factors. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Zhang, Na Xu, Fei Guo, Ximing |
spellingShingle |
Zhang, Na Xu, Fei Guo, Ximing Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc |
author_facet |
Zhang, Na Xu, Fei Guo, Ximing |
author_sort |
Zhang, Na |
title |
Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc |
title_short |
Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc |
title_full |
Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc |
title_fullStr |
Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc |
title_full_unstemmed |
Genomic Analysis of the Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) Reveals Possible Conservation of Vertebrate Sex Determination in a Mollusc |
title_sort |
genomic analysis of the pacific oyster ( crassostrea gigas) reveals possible conservation of vertebrate sex determination in a mollusc |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.013904 http://academic.oup.com/g3journal/article-pdf/4/11/2207/37182484/g3journal2207.pdf |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Crassostrea gigas Pacific oyster |
genre_facet |
Crassostrea gigas Pacific oyster |
op_source |
G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics volume 4, issue 11, page 2207-2217 ISSN 2160-1836 |
op_rights |
https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.013904 |
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G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics |
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4 |
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11 |
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2207 |
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2217 |
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1802643518266540032 |