Molecular characterization and expression profiles of four transformer-2 isoforms in the C

Molecular characterization and expression profiles of four transformer-2 isoforms in the Chinese

mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

LUO Danli;LIU Yuan;HUI Min;SONG Chengwen;LIU Hourong;CUI Zhaoxia

【期刊名称】《中国海洋湖沼学报（英文版）》 【年(卷),期】2017(035)004

【摘要】The transformer-2 (tra-2) gene plays a key role in the regulatory hierarchy of sexual differentiation in somatic tissues and in the germline of Drosophila melanogaster.In this study,sequences and expression profiles of tra-2 in the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis were characterized.Four tra2 isoforms,designated as Estra-2a,Estra-2b,Estra-2c,and Estra-2d,were isolated.They all contained an RNA-recognition motif (RRM) and a linker region,which shared high similarity with other reported tra-2s.Sequence analysis revealed that Estra-2a,Estra-2b and Estra-2c are encoded by the same genomic locus and are generated by alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA.Compared with the other three isoforms,Estra2d lacks the RS2 domain.Quantitative real-time PCR showed that all four isoforms were highly expressed in the fertilized egg,and in the 2-4 cell and blastula stages compared with larval stages (P＜0.01),suggesting their maternal origin in early embryonic developmental stages.Notably,Estra-2a was highly expressed in male somatic tissues,while Estra-2c was significantly highly expressed in the