title: vasa-related genes and their expression in stem cells of colonial parasitic rhizocephalan barnacle Polyascus polygenea (Arthropoda: Crustacea: Cirripedia: Rhizocephala).
abstract: vasa (vas)-related genes are members of the DEAD-box protein family and are expressed in the germ cells of many Metazoa. We cloned vasa-related genes (PpVLG, CpVLG) and other DEAD-box family related genes (PpDRH1, PpDRH2, CpDRH, AtDRHr) from the colonial parasitic rhizocephalan barnacle Polyascus polygenea, the non-colonial Clistosaccus paguri (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Rhizocephala), and the parasitic isopodan Athelgis takanoshimensis (Crustacea: Isopoda). The colonial Polyascus polygenea, a parasite of the coastal crabs Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Hemigrapsus longitarsis was used as a model object for further detailed investigations. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that PpVLG and CpVLG are closely related to vasa-like genes of other Arthropoda. The rest of the studied genes form their own separate branch on the phylogenetic tree and have a common ancestry with the p68 and PL10 subfamilies. We suppose this group may be a new subfamily of the DEAD-box RNA helicases that is specific for parasitic Crustacea. We found PpVLG and PpDRH1 expression products in stem cells from stolons and buds of internae, during asexual reproduction of colonial P. polygenea, and in germ cells from sexually reproducing externae, including male spermatogenic cells and female oogenic cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Embryology, 17, Pal'chevskogo Street, Vladivostok 690041, Russia. work@shukalyuk.net
authors.forename: Andrey I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Shukalyuk
authors.forename: Kseniya A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Golovnina
authors.forename: Sergei I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Baiborodin
authors.forename: Konstantin V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Gunbin
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Blinov
authors.forename: Valeria V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Isaeva
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010271:Parasites / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D001468:Thoracica / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases