Octopus maya white body show sex-specific transcriptomic profiles during the reproductive phase, with high differentiation in signaling pathways

PLoS One. 2019 May 16;14(5):e0216982. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216982. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

White bodies (WB), multilobulated soft tissue that wraps the optic tracts and optic lobes, have been considered the hematopoietic organ of the cephalopods. Its glandular appearance and its lobular morphology suggest that different parts of the WB may perform different functions, but a detailed functional analysis of the octopus WB is lacking. The aim of this study is to describe the transcriptomic profile of WB to better understand its functions, with emphasis on the difference between sexes during reproductive events. Then, validation via qPCR was performed using different tissues to find out tissue-specific transcripts. High differentiation in signaling pathways was observed in the comparison of female and male transcriptomic profiles. For instance, the expression of genes involved in the androgen receptor-signaling pathway were detected only in males, whereas estrogen receptor showed higher expression in females. Highly expressed genes in males enriched oxidation-reduction and apoptotic processes, which are related to the immune response. On the other hand, expression of genes involved in replicative senescence and the response to cortisol were only detected in females. Moreover, the transcripts with higher expression in females enriched a wide variety of signaling pathways mediated by molecules like neuropeptides, integrins, MAPKs and receptors like TNF and Toll-like. In addition, these putative neuropeptide transcripts, showed higher expression in females' WB and were not detected in other analyzed tissues. These results suggest that the differentiation in signaling pathways in white bodies of O. maya influences the physiological dimorphism between females and males during the reproductive phase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / physiology
  • Animals
  • Argonaute Proteins / physiology
  • Cell Differentiation
  • DEAD-box RNA Helicases / physiology
  • Estradiol Dehydrogenases / physiology
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Hydrocortisone / physiology
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / physiology
  • Octopodiformes / genetics
  • Octopodiformes / physiology*
  • Phylogeny
  • Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / physiology
  • Receptors, Estrogen / physiology
  • Reproduction / physiology*
  • Sex Factors
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Transcriptome*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Argonaute Proteins
  • CRF receptor type 2
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • zonadhesin
  • Estradiol Dehydrogenases
  • DEAD-box RNA Helicases
  • Hydrocortisone

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Secretaría de Educación Publica-Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México, grant: SEP-CONACYT-CB-2014-01/241690 to CEG), Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California (México, grant: CICESE-682123 to CEG), and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (grant: PAPIIT IN219116 to CR). We also thank CONACYT for the postdoc grant to OEJ and the PhD grant to LL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.