Abstract
Molting and ovulation are the basic processes responsible for the growth and reproduction of Macrobrachium nipponense; however, the molecular mechanisms of molting and ovulation in M. nipponense are poorly understood. The present study aimed to use MnFtz-f1 as the starting point to study the molting and ovulation phenomena in M. nipponense at the molecular level. The full-length MnFtz-f1 cDNA sequence was 2,198 base pairs (bp) in length with an open reading frame of 1,899 bp encoding 632 amino acids. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that MnFtz-f1 was highly expressed in the ovary at the cleavage stage and on the fifth day after hatching. In vivo administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) showed that 20E effectively inhibited the expression of the MnFtz-f1 gene, and the silencing of the MnFtz-f1 gene reduced the content of 20E in the ovary. In situ hybridization (ISH) analysis revealed the localization of MnFtz-f1 in the ovary. Silencing of MnFtz-f1 by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in significant inhibition of the expression of the vitellogenin (Vg), Spook, and Phantom genes, thus confirming that MnFtz-f1 had a mutual regulatory relationship with Vg, Spook, and Phantom. After RNAi, the molting frequency and ovulation number of M. nipponense decreased significantly, which demonstrated that MnFtz-f1 played a pivotal role in the process of molting and ovulation.
Highlights
Molting is an important behavior in the growth and development of arthropods
The results showed that MnFtz-f1 had significant homology with Ftz-f1 of other crustaceans, and both had the DNA-binding domain (DBD) and activation factor-2 (AF-2) as conserved domains
The results showed that the amino acid sequence of H. americanus clustered with the amino acid sequence of MnFtz-f1
Summary
Molting is an important behavior in the growth and development of arthropods. A growing body of evidence shows that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) controls or triggers the molting process in arthropods, and the uncoordinated action of 20E is often fatal [1,2,3,4,5]. The molting process of arthropods requires multilevel regulation, which involves some members of the nuclear receptor. Identification Functions of MnFtz-f1 family of genes that perform important functions in the molting process [6]. The synthesized 20E binds to the nuclear receptor genes to regulate downstream genes and jointly regulate molting [7]. Nuclear receptor-type transcription factors are essential for the molting process of arthropods [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
