AUTHOR=Liu Peipei , Li Ziniu , Zhang Qiuyuan , Qiao Jiao , Zheng Chenjun , Zheng Wenping , Zhang Hongyu 

TITLE=Identification of testis development-related genes by combining Iso-Seq and RNA-Seq in Zeugodacus tau

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2024.1356151

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2024.1356151

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold><italic>Zeugodacus tau</italic> (Walker) is an invasive pest. An effective method to control this pest is the sterile insect technique (SIT). To better apply this technique, it is necessary to understand testis development progression.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during testis development were analyzed by PacBio Iso-Seq and RNA-seq.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> RNA-Seq library of <italic>Z. tau</italic> testes on day 1, 6, and 11 post eclosion were constructed. We identified 755 and 865 differentially expressed genes in the comparisons of T6 (testes on day 6) vs. T1 and T11 vs. T1, respectively. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that the DEGs were significantly enriched in retinol metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism pathways. Knockdown of <italic>retinol dehydrogenase 12</italic>-like (<italic>rdh12</italic>-like), <italic>pyridoxal kinase (pdxk)</italic> and <italic>regucalcin (rgn)</italic>, the representative gene in each of the above 3 pathways, reduced the hatching rate of <italic>Z. tau</italic> offspring. In addition, we identified 107 <italic>Drosophila</italic> spermatogenesis-related orthologous genes in <italic>Z. tau</italic>, of which <italic>innexin 2 (inx2)</italic> exhibited significantly up-regulated expression throughout testis development, and the knockdown of this gene reduced offspring hatching rate. </p><p><bold>Discussion:</bold> Our data indicated that <italic>rdh12</italic>-like, <italic>pdxk</italic>, <italic>rgn</italic>, and <italic>inx2</italic> genes were related to testis development, and they were conserved in tephritid species. These results suggested that this gene might have the same function in tephritid. The findings provide an insight into testis development and spermatogenesis in tephritid species.</p>