Genome-wide identification and expressional profile of the Dmrt gene family in the swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus)

The swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus is one of crucial aquaculture crabs with significant differences in growth and economic performance between male and female swimming crabs. Consequently, the culture of female populations presents higher economic value. The doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor (Dmrt) gene family are known to play crucial role in gonad differentiation and development. However, there is limited information about this gene family in Portunus trituberculatus. In this study, we identified seven members of the Dmrt gene family in P. trituberculatus based on the published transcriptome and genome data and designated as Ptdmrt-1, Ptdoublesex (Ptdsx), Ptidmrt-1, Ptdmrt-11E, Ptidmrt-2, Ptdmrt-99B, and Ptdmrt-3 based on the homology analysis results, respectively. These Ptdmrt genes distributed across 6 chromosomes and were predicted to encode 283 aa, 288 aa, 529 aa, 436 aa, 523 aa, 224 aa, and 435 aa protein precursors, respectively. The expression patterns of these dmrt genes were characterized by qRT-PCR and gonad transcriptome data. The results showed that five members (Ptdmrt-99B, Ptdsx, Ptdmrt-1, Ptdmrt-3, and Ptdmrt-11E) were differentially expressed between the testis and ovary. In addition, their expression patterns from zoea 2 to juvenile 1 were characterized by published transcriptome data and the results showed that they were lowly expressed and did not exhibit notable difference except for Ptdsx during early development. Overall, majority of Ptdmrt genes were involved in gonad differentiation in the swimming crab. Current findings provide a solid foundation for further exploration of the roles of these genes in gonad development and differentiation in P. trituberculatus.