The sex-specific transcriptomic patterns in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis of Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus)

Dabry's sturgeon (Acipenser dabryanus) is one of the precious large fish species unique to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Investigating the molecular mechanisms that regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is crucial for the conservation of Dabry's sturgeon. In the present study, transcriptome Sequencing and analysis were conducted on hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonad tissues of male and female Dabry's sturgeon. Raw sequence data were compiled and duplicate entries were eliminated, yielding 603,597 unigenes with an average length of 843 base pairs and an N50 value of 1056 bp. In the hypothalamus, the representative up-regulated pathways and genes include fatty acid biosynthesis (fasn, acsl) and fatty acid metabolism (acd), while down-regulated pathways and genes include neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions (lhcgr, NPFFR1, gabrd). In the pituitary, the representative up-regulated pathways and genes include neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions (drd2, trhr), while down-regulated pathways and genes are unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis (elovl6). In the gonad, the representative up-regulated pathways and genes include unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis (fads2), tryptophan metabolism (cyp1a1 and cyp1b1), while down-regulated pathways and genes are ovarian steroid production (fshr, igf1, and cyp11a). These representative pathways and genes play an important role in the gonadal development of Dabry's sturgeon. These potential determinants provide a glimpse into of the molecular mechanisms of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis regulation in Dabry's sturgeon. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: All fish handling and experimental procedures in this study have been approved by the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute of China Three Gorges Corporation, and the Hubei Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Project for Conservation of Fishes (Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute of China Three Gorges Corporation).

Dabry's sturgeon; Degs; Hpg axis; Pathways; Transcriptome.