MITF Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes

doi:10.3390/biology12010001

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	MITF Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes
	Xing, Lili 1,4,5,6; Liu, Shilin 1,4,5,6; Zhang, Libin 1,4,5,6; Yang, Hongsheng 1,2,3,4,5,6; Sun, Lina 1,4,5,6
刊名	BIOLOGY-BASEL
	2023
卷号	12 期号:1 页码:15
关键词	sea cucumber body color MITF ChIP-seq gene expression gene regulation
DOI	10.3390/biology12010001
通讯作者	Sun, Lina(sunlina@qdio.ac.cn)
英文摘要	Simple Summary The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an ecologically significant echinoderm with considerable nutritional and therapeutic value. Color variation of A. japonicus is one of its most important cultivation traits, as color affects its bioactive compounds, taste, and market price. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is one of the most critical genes in melanocyte development and melanin synthesis pathways. However, how MITF regulates body color and differentiation in sea cucumbers is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the expression level and location of MITF in white, purple, and green sea cucumbers and identified the genes regulated by MITF using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing. Our findings suggested that MITF contributed to the body color differentiation of green, purple, and white sea cucumbers A. japonicus through expression differences and regulation of downstream genes. These findings give researchers a foundation for further research into the processes that underlie the development of body color in sea cucumbers and provide light on how genes are regulated. The results will also provide support for sea cucumber breeding and a useful theoretical basis in order to contribute to the development of the sea cucumber industry. Melanin, which is a pigment produced in melanocytes, is an important contributor to sea cucumber body color. MITF is one of the most critical genes in melanocyte development and melanin synthesis pathways. However, how MITF regulates body color and differentiation in sea cucumbers is poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the expression level and location of MITF in white, purple, and green sea cucumbers and identified the genes regulated by MITF using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing. The mRNA and protein expression levels of MITF were all highest in purple morphs and lowest in white morphs. In situ hybridization indicated that MITF mRNA were mainly expressed in the epidermis. We also identified 984, 732, and 1191 peaks of MITF binding in green, purple, and white sea cucumbers, which were associated with 727, 557, and 887 genes, respectively. Our findings suggested that MITF contributed to the body color differentiation of green, purple, and white sea cucumbers through expression differences and regulation of downstream genes. These results provided a basis for future studies to determine the mechanisms underlying body color formation and provided insights into gene regulation in sea cucumbers.
资助项目	National Natural Science Foundation of China[42106109] ; Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province Youth Program[ZR2020QD100] ; Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences[XDA24030304] ; National Key R&D Program of China[2018YFD0901602] ; Agricultural Seed Project of Shandong Province[2020LZGC015]
WOS关键词	TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS ; PURPLE MORPHS ; GREEN ; GROWTH ; WHITE ; NOTCH ; MUTATIONS ; HISTOLOGY ; MELANOMA
WOS研究方向	Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics
语种	英语
出版者	MDPI
WOS记录号	WOS:000916728000001
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.qdio.ac.cn/handle/337002/183391]
专题	海洋研究所_海洋生态与环境科学重点实验室
通讯作者	Sun, Lina
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Oceanol, CAS Key Lab Marine Ecol & Environm Sci, Qingdao 266071, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Innovat Seed Design, Wuhan 430071, Peoples R China 3.Shandong Prov Key Lab Expt Marine Biol, Qingdao 266071, Peoples R China 4.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China 5.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Oceanol, CAS Engn Lab Marine Ranching, Qingdao 266071, Peoples R China 6.Qingdao Natl Lab Marine Sci & Technol, Lab Marine Ecol & Environm Sci, Qingdao 266237, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Xing, Lili,Liu, Shilin,Zhang, Libin,et al. MITF Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes[J]. BIOLOGY-BASEL,2023,12(1):15.
APA	Xing, Lili,Liu, Shilin,Zhang, Libin,Yang, Hongsheng,&Sun, Lina.(2023).MITF Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes.BIOLOGY-BASEL,12(1),15.
MLA	Xing, Lili,et al."MITF Contributes to the Body Color Differentiation of Sea Cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus through Expression Differences and Regulation of Downstream Genes".BIOLOGY-BASEL 12.1(2023):15.