ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living Resources
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1532465
Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms in key glycogen metabolism genes of Crassostrea hongkongensis and their association with glycogen content
Provisionally accepted
- Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
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To investigate the characteristics of glycogen content and identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with this trait in Crassostrea hongkongensis, we cloned the full-length cDNA of key genes involved in glycogen metabolism, determined the glycogen content and gene expression levels in different tissues and across different months of specimen collection, and identified SNPs within the coding regions of key genes. The key genes involved in glycogen metabolism are glycogen synthase (ChGS) and glycogen phosphorylase (ChGP). Both genes were expressed in all six tissues analyzed: the gills, adductor muscle, mantle, labial palps, gonads, and digestive gland. The ChGS expression level was highest in the gonads (P < 0.05), whereas the ChGP expression level was highest in the adductor muscle (P < 0.05). Glycogen content reached its highest level in September, and the expression levels of ChGS and ChGP reached their highest levels in September and March, respectively. The expression levels of ChGS and ChGP in the gonadal-visceral mass were very low after the release of oyster gametes in June. From June to September, there was a concurrent increase in ChGS and ChGP expression levels. This finding also indicated that the mRNA expression levels of ChGS and ChGP in gonadal-visceral mass tissues are seasonally regulated and are correlated with glycogen content. Fifteen SNP markers were identified within the coding regions of ChGS and ChGP using fragment-length discrepant allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. The success rate of SNP identification was 37.5% (15/40). Using association analysis, one SNP located in the coding region of ChGS was found to be associated with glycogen content. These loci represent potential candidate markers for future genetic improvement aimed at enhancing glycogen content in C. hongkongensis.
Keywords: Crassostrea hongkongensis, Glycogen, Single nucleotide polymorphism, association analysis, Glycogen Synthase, Glycogen Phosphorylase
Received: 22 Nov 2024; Accepted: 23 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kong, Chen, Jia, Deng, Zhu, Xu and She. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhicai She, Ocean College, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou, China
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