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Tissue-specific transcriptome characterization for developing tadpoles of the northern leopard frog (Lithobates
Jeffrey R Row1, Michael E Donaldson2, Jessica N Longhi3
1School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8, Canada.
Genomics
|October 13, 2016
Summary
Environmental degradation impacts amphibian development. RNA sequencing revealed significant gene expression changes in northern leopard frog tadpoles, particularly in the tail, with altered immunity and energy pathway genes during development.
Area of Science:
- Amphibian developmental biology
- Environmental toxicology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Amphibian populations are declining globally.
- Environmental degradation is a suspected cause, impacting early life stages like tadpoles.
- Understanding gene expression during tadpole development is crucial for assessing environmental impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gene expression changes during northern leopard frog tadpole development using RNA sequencing.
- To identify key genes and pathways affected during different developmental stages.
- To assess the utility of RNA-sequencing for studying environmental effects on amphibian development.
Main Methods:
- Northern leopard frog tadpoles were studied at early (Gosner 26-31) and late (Gosner 36-41) developmental stages.
- RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on tadpole tissues (head and tail).
- De novo transcriptome assembly was used to identify and annotate open reading frames.
Main Results:
- Transcriptome assembly yielded a large number of annotated open reading frames, comparable to Xenopus.
- The greatest transcript level changes between early and late stages occurred in the tail.
- Late-stage tadpoles showed upregulation of immunity genes and downregulation of mitochondrial energy pathway and myosin production genes.
Conclusions:
- Developmental gene expression in northern leopard frogs shows similarities to other amphibians like Xenopus.
- RNA-seq is a powerful tool for identifying differentially expressed genes during development.
- Findings provide a baseline for future studies on environmental pressures affecting tadpole development and amphibian health.
