AUTHOR=Zeng Qi , Hu Beijuan , Blanco Andres Hortas , Zhang Wanchang , Zhao Daxian , Martínez Paulino , Hong Yijiang 

TITLE=Full-Length Transcriptome Sequences Provide Insight Into Hermaphroditism of Freshwater Pearl Mussel Hyriopsis schlegelii

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.868742

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2022.868742

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>The freshwater mussel <italic>Hyriopsis schlegelii</italic> is a cultured bivalve in China, and the quality of the pearls produced is affected by the type of gonads. However, because of the lack of a published genome and the complexity of sex determination, research on sex reversal and development of this species is limited. In this study, Illumina RNA-seq and PacBio Isoform Sequencing (Iso-Seq) were combined to analyze the gonads of <italic>H. schlegelii</italic>. A total of 201,481 high-quality transcripts were generated. The study identified 7,922 differentially expressed genes in three comparison group (females versus males, hermaphrodites versus females, and hermaphrodites versus males). Twenty-four genes were identified as potential sex-related genes, including <italic>sox9</italic> and <italic>wnt4</italic> involved in sex determination, and <italic>vtg</italic>, <italic>cyp17a1</italic> and <italic>17β-hsd2</italic> involved in gonadal development. We also speculated a possible pathways for the formation of hermaphroditism in <italic>H. schlegelii</italic>. The data provide a clear view of the transcriptome for <italic>H. schlegelii</italic> gonads and will be valuable in elucidating the mechanisms of gonad development.</p>