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Published on: January 12, 2015
Sexually dimorphic expression of foxl2 in the sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus)
Jian Zhang1, Zhi-Hui Sun2, Bing-Zheng Liu2
1School of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Mariculture & Stock Enhancement in North China's Sea, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, 116023, China.
Abstract:
Sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus) is an important economically mariculture species in several Asian countries, and gonads are the sole edible parts for people. In addition to commercial value, it is an excellent model for studying gonadal development, sex determination and sex differentiation. Identify sex-related genes is an effective way to reveal the molecular mechanism of gonadal development. In the present study, the foxl2 homologous gene was identified in M. nudus. Foxl2 is not a maternal factor, and is detected for the first time in two-arm stages. Additionally, the expression of foxl2 in the testis is higher than in the ovaries at the same developmental stages. The foxl2 transcripts were specifically enriched in the cytoplasm of germ cellsboth in the ovary and testis, but their proteins were more concentrated in the area near the oocyte nucleus. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the dynamic and sexually dimorphic expression pattern of foxl2 and provide a useful germ cell marker during gametogenesis in sea urchin.
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