Identification and Characterization of the <i>DMRT11E</i> Gene in the Oriental River Prawn <i>Macrobrachium nipponense</i>

• Main Authors: Yabing Wang, Shubo Jin, Hongtuo Fu, Hui Qiao, Shengming Sun, Wenyi Zhang, Sufei Jiang, Yongsheng Gong, Yiwei Xiong, Yan Wu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: <i>Macrobrachium nipponense</i>; <i>DMRT11E</i>; temporal and spatial expression; in situ hybridization; RNA interference
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/7/1734

The doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor (<i>DMRT</i>) gene family involvement in sex development is widely conserved from invertebrates to humans. In this study, we identified a DM (<i>Doublesex/Mab-3</i>)-domain gene in <i>Macrobrachium nipponense</i>, which we named <i>MniDMRT11E</i> because it has many similarities to and phylogenetically close relationships with the arthropod <i>DMRT11E</i>. Amino acid alignments and structural prediction uncovered conservation and putative active sites of the DM domain. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the <i>MniDMRT11E</i> was highly expressed in the ovary and testis in both males and females. Cellular localization analysis showed that <i>DMRT11E</i> was mainly located in the oocytes of the ovary and the spermatocyte of the testis. During embryogenesis, the expression level of <i>MniDMRT11E</i> was higher at the cleavage stage than at other stages. During the different stages of ovarian development, <i>MniDMRT11E</i> expression gradually increased from OI to OIII and decreased to the lowest level at the end of OIV. The results indicated that <i>MniDMRT11E</i> probably played important roles in embryonic development and sex maturity in <i>M. nipponense</i>. <i>MniDMRT11E</i> dsRNA injection also significantly reduced vitellogenin (<i>VG</i>) expression and significantly increased insulin-like androgenic gland factor (<i>IAG)</i> expression, indicating a close relationship in gonad development.