Characterization of ddx4 and dnd Homologs in Snakeskin Gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis) and Their Expression Levels during Larval Development and in Gonads of Males and Females

Chatsirin Nakharuthai; Somkiat Sreebun; Apinat Kabpha; Tran Vinh Phuong; Surintorn Boonanuntanasarn

doi:10.3390/ani12233415

Characterization of ddx4 and dnd Homologs in Snakeskin Gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis) and Their Expression Levels during Larval Development and in Gonads of Males and Females

Animals (Basel). 2022 Dec 4;12(23):3415. doi: 10.3390/ani12233415.

Authors

Chatsirin Nakharuthai¹, Somkiat Sreebun¹, Apinat Kabpha¹, Tran Vinh Phuong², Surintorn Boonanuntanasarn¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Animal Technology and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand.
² Department of Science Technology and International Relations, Hue University, 1 Dien Bien Phu St., Hue 49000, Vietnam.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clone and characterize ddx4 and dnd1 homologs in snakeskin gourami (Trichopodus pectoralis) and to determine their expression levels during larval development and in the gonads of males and females. Both cDNAs contained predicted regions that shared consensus motifs with the ddx4 family in teleosts and the dnd family in vertebrates. Phylogenetic tree construction analysis confirmed that these two genes were clustered in the families of teleosts. Both ddx4 and dnd1 mRNAs were detectable only in the gonads, particularly in germ cells. These two genes were expressed during early larval development. The expression of ddx4 was high during early larval development and decreased with increasing developmental age, whereas dnd1 expression increased with developmental age. In adult fish, the expression levels of both genes were higher in the ovary than in the testis. Overall, these findings provide valuable molecular information on ddx4 and dnd, and can be applied in future reproductive biological studies relating to sex dimorphism in snakeskin gourami.

Keywords: Trichopodus pectoralis; ddx4; dnd; snakeskin gourami.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Agricultural Research Development Agency (Public Organization) (PRP6505031100) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency/Japan International Cooperation Agency, Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development, SATREPS (JPMJSA1806), Project for Utilization of Thailand Local Genetic Resources to Develop Novel Farmed Fish for Global Market (Thai Fish Project). Financial support was also received from the project “Technologies and innovations for improvement of livestock and aquaculture production efficiency, product quality and added value, based on local resources to secure productions sustainability” under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund Project Proposal.