SEM observation of early shell formation and expression of biomineralization-related genes during larval development in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata

Publication date: Available online 2 December 2019Source: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and ProteomicsAuthor(s): Haimei Li, Lirong Bai, Xiaoyun Dong, Xiaohui Qi, Hongying Liu, Dahui YuAbstractShell formation of Pinctada fucata in larval development stages plays a crucial role in their survival. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphological changes during larval development. We found that the early shell forms soon after enlargement of the blastopore at the anterior end of the trochophore stage and the complete shell forms in the spats stage, required for metamorphosis of P. fucata. Based on our transcriptome data of trochophore, D-shaped, umbonal, eyespots and spats stages, including the whole process of shell formation, 93 differentially expressed biomineralization-related genes were identified, of which 25 genes were unique to P. fucata, 30 were identical to genes in pacific oyster, and the remaining genes were annotated to other species. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional principal components analysis (PCA) showed that different developmental stages were significantly different, with the early two stages exhibiting a larger difference compared with the next stages. The 93 genes were sorted into 20 trends with three trends being significantly enriched: an initial increase and then a decrease, a monotonic decrease, and a monotonic increase. Gene expression patterns changed with regulatory function during shell formatio...
Source: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research