Article
Fisheries
Yaguang Wang, Ju Zhang, Wenting Liu, Na Zhang, Zhao Zhang, Yaohong Zhang, Yueqiang Guan
Summary: The Yongzhang golden turtle, a new strain with a yellow body coloration, appears to have lower levels of melanin and its precursor DHICA compared to the atrovirens wild type turtle. A mutation in the tyrp1 gene exon 8 was identified as a potential cause for the yellow coloration. Overall, the expression levels of key melanogenesis genes were significantly down-regulated in the Yongzhang golden turtle, providing insight into the mechanisms underlying its novel body coloration.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yongyu Huang, Lili Zhang, Guodong Wang, Shiyu Huang
Summary: The study compared the transcriptome of different pigmentation phenotypes of Neocaridina denticulate sinensis to explore candidate genes associated with color variations. The differential expression analysis revealed genes related to carotenoid absorption, transport, and metabolism, with electron transfer across the inner mitochondrial membrane playing a key role in pigment metabolism. Additionally, the study detected simple sequence repeats in the shrimp species, laying a foundation for further research on crustacean integument pigmentation mechanisms.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jia-Yuan Jiang, Hua Wen, Ming Jiang, Juan Tian, Li-Xue Dong, Ze-Chao Shi, Tong Zhou, Xing Lu, Hong-Wei Liang
Summary: This experiment aimed to assess the impact of different levels of curcumin in the diet on the growth, muscle quality, serum-biochemical parameters, antioxidant-enzyme activities, gut micro-biome, and liver transcriptome of Chinese soft-shelled turtles. The results showed that dietary curcumin supplementation improved muscle texture and increased antioxidant enzyme activities. It also had a positive effect on gut microbiota composition and altered metabolic pathways in the liver. Based on the evaluation of serum and liver enzyme activities, the appropriate dietary curcumin supplementation for Chinese soft-shelled turtles was approximately 3.9 g/kg.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Pei Wang, Gang Xiong, Dan Zeng, Jianguo Zhang, Lingrui Ge, Li Liu, Xiaoqing Wang, Yazhou Hu
Summary: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important regulatory roles in pigmentation processes in aquatic animals. In this study, we performed an integrated analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in the skin of Chinese soft-shelled turtles during three embryonic stages. We identified novel genes and miRNAs, and found differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DEMs) between different stages. Some of these DEGs and DEMs may be associated with turtle pigmentation in embryonic development. Our findings provide insights into the regulatory patterns of miRNAs in reptile pigmentation and may contribute to understanding the molecular processes involved in pigmentation.
Article
Fisheries
Hongyan Kou, Junru Hu, Sarath Babu Vijayaraman, An-Li Wang, Yanyun Zheng, Jiajia Chen, Guoping He, Yutao Miao, Li Lin
Summary: The level of dietary zinc at 55.38 mg/kg is beneficial for antioxidant enzyme activity and immune function, as well as positive impacts on the expression of antioxidant enzyme-related genes, in soft-shelled turtles.
FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Niannian Wang, Yinxia Zhang, Wei Li, Zhangchuan Peng, Huan Pan, Shan Li, Tingcai Cheng, Chun Liu
Summary: The pigment and structural color of insects are essential for body protection, ecological adaptation, and signal communication. This study identified the gene responsible for the Ursa mutant phenotype in the silkworm Bombyx mori as BmSoxD. The mutation in BmSoxD caused excessive melanin pigmentation in the larval epidermis by promoting the melanin metabolism pathway. These findings highlight the importance of BmSoxD in regulating melanin synthesis in insects.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Tong Zhou, Guobin Chen, Jizeng Cao, Jiahui Wang, Guiwei Zou, Hongwei Liang
Summary: In this study, the full-length transcriptome of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle was obtained using PacBio's isoform sequencing. The researchers analyzed the transcriptome structure and identified genes and transcripts related to sex determination. These findings provide a foundation for further research on the sex-determination mechanisms of this economically important aquatic species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jing Xiang, Hao Wu, Jinwei Gao, Weimin Jiang, Xing Tian, Zhonggui Xie, Tao Zhang, Jia Feng, Rui Song
Summary: Niclosamide (NIC) is a molluscicide used for controlling schistosomiasis, but its negative effects on aquatic animals, such as Chinese soft-shelled turtles, have been reported. This study investigated the toxicity mechanism of NIC on Chinese soft-shelled turtles and found that NIC exposure induced severe liver damage and increased ROS production. The activities of antioxidant enzymes were inhibited, indicating a disruption in the antioxidant defense. Transcriptome sequencing identified the disorder of lipid metabolism and innate immune regulation as toxicological properties of NIC. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the toxic effect of NIC on Chinese soft-shelled turtles.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dan Wang, Lei Chen, Yabing Yang, Farhat Abbas, Yaqi Qin, Hanle Lu, Biao Lai, Zichen Wu, Bing Hu, Yonghua Qin, Huicong Wang, Jietang Zhao, Guibing Hu
Summary: Anthocyanins, health-promoting compounds with strong antioxidant properties, accumulate in the pericarp but not in the aril of litchi fruit. Metabolome and transcriptome analyses revealed that a block in cyanidin glycosylation is responsible for the deficiency of anthocyanin biosynthesis in the aril. Additionally, 9 candidate genes, including LcMYB1, were identified to play a significant role in regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanism of tissue-specific anthocyanin accumulation and will contribute to the development of new red-fleshed litchi germplasm.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Li-Fang Zeng, Jinhyuk Lee, Gyutae Lim, Yu-Fei Yang, Run-Lan Lin, Shang-Jun Yin, Wei Wang, Yong-Doo Park
Summary: The aim of this study was to characterize the functions of the mitochondrial creatine kinases in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis in relation to hibernation. The researchers found that PSCK-MT1 had stronger kinase- and creatine-binding affinity than PSCK-MT2. They also discovered that PSCK-MT1 and PSCK-MT2 played important roles in ovarian follicular development during hibernation, and were primarily expressed in the follicular fluid and granulosa layer. These findings suggest that both PSCK-MTs are effective in functioning under the conditions of low temperature and oxygen during hibernation.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Yubin Wang, Xiangzhong Luo, Chunjuan Qu, Tao Xu, Guiwei Zou, Hongwei Liang
Summary: In this study, the molecular mechanism of sex reversal in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle was revealed through comparative transcriptome analysis. The findings suggest that sox3 gene may play a role in the process of sex reversal from male to pseudo-female, while sox8 and sox9 are inhibited. Moreover, the sox family genes affect both female and male pathways in the process of sex reversal. These findings provide new insights for the all-male breeding of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jianfei Xu, Yonglin Guo, Zhimin Tan, Wenzhuo Ban, Jiaming Tian, Kaili Chen, Hongyan Xu
Summary: The rad51 gene plays a crucial physiological role in Pelodiscus sinensis, especially in the development and differentiation of germ cells during early stages. The dynamic expression pattern of rad51 mRNA provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying germ cell development and gamete differentiation in reptiles.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Lu Zhou, Jinhong Lei, Xiaofei Zhai, Ningning Lu, Haitao Shi, Jichao Wang
Summary: Vocalization is crucial for the survival of underwater animals. The Chinese soft-shelled turtle, a highly vulnerable species, has not been studied for its underwater vocalization, which can provide important insights for ecological and evolutionary research. By conducting underwater recordings, we identified 10 call types of the turtle and observed differences in vocalizations between individuals of different ages and sexes. The Chinese soft-shelled turtle has a diverse range of vocalizations and shows the tendency for vocalization to become more diverse with age, aiding its adaptation to complex and dim underwater environments.
Article
Biology
Junxian Zhu, Luo Lei, Chen Chen, Yakun Wang, Xiaoli Liu, Lulu Geng, Ruiyang Li, Haigang Chen, Xiaoyou Hong, Lingyun Yu, Chengqing Wei, Wei Li, Xinping Zhu
Summary: In this study, a whole-transcriptome analysis of the female and male gonads of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) was conducted. Several differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs related to sex differentiation were identified. A competing endogenous RNA interaction network containing key genes associated with sex differentiation was constructed. This study provides comprehensive data and highlights the potential functions of non-coding RNAs in sex differentiation in P. sinensis and other turtles.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Minhye Shin, Van-Long Truong, Minjee Lee, Donggyu Kim, Myun Soo Kim, Hana Cho, Young Hoon Jung, Jungwoo Yang, Woo Sik Jeong, Younghoon Kim
Summary: In this study, the inhibitory effects of probiotic culture supernatants on tyrosinase were evaluated, and novel bacterial metabolites that can be used as potent tyrosinase inhibitors were discovered. These metabolites can reduce melanin synthesis and alter protein expression associated with melanogenesis. The findings suggest that probiotic culture supernatants containing high amounts of phenyllactic acid have potential use as anti-melanogenesis agents in food and medicines.
CURRENT RESEARCH IN FOOD SCIENCE
(2023)
