ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Fisheries, Aquaculture and Living Resources
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1542815
This article is part of the Research TopicGenetics and Genomics applied to Fisheries and AquacultureView all 8 articles
Identification of sex-linked markers and genes in Portuguese oyster (Magallana angulata)
Provisionally accepted
Xiaoyan Zhou1Yue Ning2Jingyi Xie1Yi Han1Chaonan Tang1Caiyuan Su1Qijuan Wan1Qisheng Wu2Xiang Guo2Jianfei Qi2
Yizou Ke1Hui Ge2*
Mingyi Cai1*- 1Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- 2Fisheries Research Institute of Fujian (FJFRI), Xiamen, Fujian Province, China
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The Portuguese oyster (Magallana angulata) is a valuable aquaculture species with sexual dimorphism in growth and nutritional traits, making it a promising candidate for sex-controlled breeding. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying its sex determination remain poorly understood. This study represents the first population-level investigation to identify sex-linked genetic markers and candidate genes in M. angulata using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and transcriptomic analysis. A total of 1,613 sex-associated SNPs were identified, primarily located on Chr. 9 (7.99 Mb-10.51Mb). SNP annotation revealed 57 genes around these sex-associated SNPs. Transcriptomic analysis identified 8,635 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between male and female gonads, of which 12 overlapped with GWAS-identified genes. Among these, four genes (5-HTR, ADPKD1-a, SCP, and SLC28A3) exhibited strong sex-specific genetic differentiation, with 5-HTR showing the most pronounced association. Further population genetic analysis revealed higher genetic diversity and heterozygosity of 5-HTR in males. Six sex-associated haplotypes based on SNPs within 5-HTR were constructed and validated in an independent population, although with reduced significance, suggesting both continuity and variation in sex determination mechanisms across populations. These findings provide a critical foundation for understanding the genetic basis of sex determination and advancing sex-controlled breeding strategies in M. angulata.
Keywords: Magallana angulata, Sex-linked markers, genome-wide association analysis, Transcriptomic Analysis, sex determination
Received: 10 Dec 2024; Accepted: 28 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Ning, Xie, Han, Tang, Su, Wan, Wu, Guo, Qi, Ke, Ge and Cai. 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:
Hui Ge, Fisheries Research Institute of Fujian (FJFRI), Xiamen, 361000, Fujian Province, China
Mingyi Cai, Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen, 361021, Fujian, China
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