Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) is often intimately involved in reproduction control and is therefore a target organ for transcriptomic investigations to identify reproduction-associated genes. In this study, 454 transcriptome sequencing was performed on pooled brain and ventral nerve cord of the female mud crab (Scylla olivacea) following serotonin injection (5 µg/g BW). A total of 197,468 sequence reads was obtained with an average length of 828 bp. Approximately 38.7% of 2,183 isotigs matched with significant similarity (E value < 1e−4) to sequences within the Genbank non-redundant (nr) database, with most significant matches being to crustacean and insect sequences. Approximately 32 putative neuropeptide genes were identified from nonmatching blast sequences. In addition, we identified full-length transcripts for crustacean reproductive-related genes, namely farnesoic acid o-methyltransferase (FAMeT), estrogen sulfotransferase (ESULT) and prostaglandin F synthase (PGFS). Following serotonin injection, which would normally initiate reproductive processes, we found up-regulation of FAMeT, ESULT and PGFS expression in the female CNS and ovary. Our data here provides an invaluable new resource for understanding the molecular role of the CNS on reproduction in S. olivacea.
Highlights
Among all crustaceans, the mud crab Scylla olivacea, is one of the most important species for global aquatic production due to the quality and taste of their eggs and meat [1]
A total of 1,236 contigs were greater than 500 bp, with the largest contig at 11,940 bp, and many providing full-length open reading frames (ORFs)
We show the full-length protein encoded within the Scyol-estrogen sulfotransferase (ESULT) transcript (S2 Fig.) and compared to deduced homolog sequences within other species, showing similarities to D. pulex (32%), Tribolium castaneum (30%), Megachile rotundata (29%), and Bombus impatiens (28%) (Fig. 5)
Summary
The mud crab Scylla olivacea, is one of the most important species for global aquatic production due to the quality and taste of their eggs and meat [1]. There is currently little molecular knowledge of the genes and proteins involved in reproduction of this species, and it had become of paramount importance to undertake a transcriptomic investigation to identify these within relevant tissues. Within the CNS, neuronal clusters and fibers appear in distinct regions that likely provide different functions to allow for a complete neuronal circuit. Immunocytochemistry has revealed the existence of several neurosecretory cells in the CNS that contain neurotransmitters and neurohormone-like proteins involved in reproduction [4,5,6]
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