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Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Dissection of Larval Zebrafish Gonadal Tissue
Published on: April 26, 2017
Comparison of Gonadal Transcriptomes Uncovers Reproduction-Related Genes with Sexually Dimorphic Expression Patterns
Huapu Chen1, Zhiyuan Li1, Yaorong Wang1
1Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Aquaculture Environment of Zhanjiang, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
Abstract:
Diodon hystrix is a new and emerging aquaculture species in south China. However, due to the lack of understanding of reproductive regulation, the management of breeding and reproduction under captivity remains a barrier for the commercial aquaculture of D. hystrix. More genetic information is needed to identify genes critical for gonadal development. Here, the first gonadal transcriptomes of D. hystrix were analyzed and 151.89 million clean reads were generated. All reads were assembled into 57,077 unigenes, and 24,574 could be annotated. By comparing the gonad transcriptomes, 11,487 differentially expressed genes were obtained, of which 4599 were upregulated and 6888 were downregulated in the ovaries. Using enrichment analyses, many functional pathways were found to be associated with reproduction regulation. A set of sex-biased genes putatively involved in gonad development and gametogenesis were identified and their sexually dimorphic expression patterns were characterized. The detailed transcriptomic data provide a useful resource for further research on D. hystrix reproductive manipulation.
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