title: A vasa gene from green mud crab Scylla                      paramamosain and its expression during gonadal development and gametogenesis.
abstract: VASA is one of the important regulatory factors that determine the development of the reproductive system. However, no information on vasa gene from Pleocyemata Brachyura is available. By using Race, we obtained a full-length cDNA of Sp-vasa of the green mud crab Scylla paramamosain. The full-length (2,851 bp) cDNA of vasa encodes a peptide of 631 amino acids. Real-time PCR results indicated that the expression level of Sp-vasa in the growth stage of ovary was higher than in the maturation stage, and in stage I and II of testis, the expression level of Sp-vasa were higher than in stage III. By using in situ hybridization, Sp-vasa RNAs were detected in the large part of oocyte plasm in stage I, nucleus zone in stage III and perinuclear zone in stage V. As the size of oocytes increases during oogenesis, the signals change from strong to weak. In addition, in stage I and II of testis, the expression levels of Sp-vasa were higher than in stage III, and the hybridization intensity of Sp-vasa gene gradually increased during spermatogenesis from spermatogonia to spermatids. However, no hybridization signal was detected in spermatozoon. Real-time PCR and in situ hybridization were consistent. These findings suggest that Sp-vasa is likely to serve as a useful and specific marker for germ cell development of S. paramamosain.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for Aquaculture and Food Safety, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen, 361021, China. ylwang@jmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Yilei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yudong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kunhuang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Ziping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003386:Brachyura / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005718:Gametogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006066:Gonads / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases