title: Oyster vasa-like gene as a marker of the germline cell development in Crassostrea gigas.
abstract: The oyster vasa-like gene was previously demonstrated to be specifically expressed in germline cells of adult oysters Crassostrea gigas. In the present study, this gene was used as a molecular marker to establish the developmental pattern of germline cells during oyster ontogenesis, using whole-mount in situ hybridization and real-time PCR. The Oyvlg transcripts appeared to be localized to the vegetal pole of unfertilized oocytes and maternally transmitted to embryos. At early development, these maternal transcripts were observed to segregate into a single blastomere, from the CD macromere of 2-cell stage to the 4d mesentoblast of blastula. From late blastula stage, the mesentoblast divided into two cell clumps that migrated to both sides of the larvae body and that would correspond to primordial germ cells (PGCs). Based on these results, we postulate that the germline of C. gigas is specified at early development by maternal cytoplasmic determinants including Oyvlg mRNAs, in putative PGCs that would differentiate into germinal stem cells in juvenile oysters.
authors.affiliation: UMR Physiologie et Ecophysiologie des Mollusques Marins, Ifremer, B.P.70, 29280 Plouzané, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fabioux
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huvet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lelong
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pouvreau
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minguant
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Pennec
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015415:Biomarkers; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D005854:Germ Cells; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger