International Journal of Molecular Sciences | |
Identification of an Epigenetically Marked Locus within the Sex Determination Region of Channel Catfish | |
Dongya Gao1  Zhanjiang Liu1  Huitong Shi2  Yu Zhang2  Shikai Liu2  Tao Zhou2  Yang Liu2  Lisui Bao2  Rex A. Dunham2  Yujia Yang2  Changxu Tian2  Wenwen Wang2  Suxu Tan2  | |
[1] Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA;The Fish Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA; | |
关键词: fish; sex determination; methylation; transcriptome; epigenetics; RNA-Seq; | |
DOI : 10.3390/ijms23105471 | |
来源: DOAJ |
【 摘 要 】
Channel catfish has an XY sex determination system. However, the X and Y chromosomes harbor an identical gene content of 950 genes each. In this study, we conducted comparative analyses of methylome and transcriptome of genetic males and genetic females before gonadal differentiation to provide insights into the mechanisms of sex determination. Differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs) were predominantly identified on the sex chromosome, most notably within the sex determination region (SDR), although the overall methylation profiles across the entire genome were similar between genetic males and females. The drastic differences in methylation were located within the SDR at nucleotide position 14.0–20.3 Mb of the sex chromosome, making this region an epigenetically marked locus within the sex determination region. Most of the differentially methylated CpG sites were hypermethylated in females and hypomethylated in males, suggesting potential involvement of methylation modification in sex determination in channel catfish. Along with the differential methylation in the SDR, a number of differentially expressed genes within the SDR were also identified between genetic males and females, making them potential candidate genes for sex determination and differentiation in channel catfish.
【 授权许可】
Unknown