Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping and Marker Identification for Low Salinity Tolerance Trait in the Swimming Crab (Portunus trituberculatus)

Abstract

Low salinity is one of the most important abiotic factors that directly affect the abundance of the swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping could be helpful in identifying the markers and genes involved in low salinity tolerance. In this study, two QTLs of low salt tolerance were mapped on linkage group 17 (LG17, 2.6–5.2 cM) based on a high-density linkage map. Ninety-five markers related to low salinity tolerance were identified via association analysis, and seventy-nine low salt-related candidate genes (including ammonium transport, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and glucosyltransferase) were screened from draft genome of the species via these markers. This represents the first report of QTL mapping for low salinity tolerance in the swimming crab, which may be useful to elucidate salinity adaptation mechanisms.

Discovery of Sex-Determining Genes in Portunus trituberculatus: A Comparison of Male and Female Transcriptomes During Early Developmental Stages

“…Combining the results of this and previous studies (Takashi et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2020), a model for sex determination and differentiation in P. trituberculatus was preliminarily outlined (Figure 9). The species belongs to the male heterogametic XY system (Lv et al, 2019), where PtDMY is the key gene for sex determination, and is expressed almost exclusively in males during larval development (Z1-J2). Dmrt and IAG are important sex differentiation-related genes, and are regulated by PtDMY.…”

Impact of salinity changes on growth, oxygen consumption and expression pattern of selected candidate genes in the orange mud crab ( Scylla olivacea )

“…Sequences of the five selected (two growth and three ion regulatory) genes: Actin, α‐Amylase, Diuretic Hormone (DH), Na + /K + ‐ATPase (NKA) and V‐type H + ‐ATPase (VTA) genes and a reference gene 18S were available from some earlier studies (Cui et al., 2015; Lv et al., 2019; Waiho et al., 2017) to design specific primers for this study. 18S was used as the reference gene in this study to obtain relative gene expression values for each of the growth and ion regulatory genes.…”

“…Specialized biological traits (ability to rapidly regulate: body fluid osmolality, cellular volume in the gill lamellae and gene expression) present in crabs (also broadly across the crustaceans that exhibit spawning migrations) are believed to be the main driving force for their ability to tolerate wide-ranging salinities (Lv et al, 2019;Rahi, Mather, Ezaz, & Hurwood, 2019;Zhang et al, 2018).…”

“…Ionic balance is the major problem for any aquatic organisms if environmental salinity levels changes (Freire, Onken, & McNamara, 2008; Lv et al., 2013; Moshtaghi, Rahi, Mather, & Hurwood, 2018; Rahi, Amin, Mather, & Hurwood, 2017). Specialized biological traits (ability to rapidly regulate: body fluid osmolality, cellular volume in the gill lamellae and gene expression) present in crabs (also broadly across the crustaceans that exhibit spawning migrations) are believed to be the main driving force for their ability to tolerate wide‐ranging salinities (Lv et al., 2019; Rahi, Mather, Ezaz, & Hurwood, 2019; Zhang et al., 2018).…”

“…These physiological activities are accomplished efficiently by changing the expression pattern of underlying candidate genes (Havird, Santos, & Henry, 2014; Lv et al., 2013; Moshtaghi et al., 2018). Candidate genes respond immediately with salinity change and alter their expression pattern (increase mRNA expression levels) to successfully counterbalance the adverse impacts imposed by salinity changes (Lv et al., 2019; Reuter, Camus, Hill, Ruzicka, & Fowler, 2017; Romero, Ruvinsky, & Gilad, 2012; Sheng, Pettersson, Honaker, Siegel, & Carlborg, 2015; Wray, 2013). While crustaceans tend to acclimate with salinity change by increasing the expression of candidate genes, they require more energy for this process (Moshtaghi, Rahi, Mather, & Hurwood, 2017; Rahi et al., 2019).…”