The Sry-related high mobility group box (Sox) genes family is a group of transcription factors playing crucial roles during reproduction and development. At least 50% amino acid sequences of Sox protein family are similarity to the sex-determining region on the Y chromosome (Sry). The sox family exists throughout the invertebrates and vertebrates and plays an important role in sex determination and differentiation, gonadal development, neurogenesis, formation of multiple tissues and organs, early embryonic development, chondrocyte differentiation, cardio-vascular system, and other features in fish. The full characters of sox genes at the genome-wide level have been reported in many fish species, due to the rapid development of high-throughput DNA sequencing technique and massive accumulation of genomic data. Here, the research progress of fish sox gene family is reviewed to provide the latest information for the research in this field.

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Chinese sturgeon ( Acipenser sinensis ), a critically endangered Acipenseridae family member, is one of the largest anadromous, native fish in China. Numerous research programmes and protection agencies have focused on breeding and preserving this endangered species. However, available information is limited on the different stages of sex development, especially on the reproductive regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad (HPG) axis of A. sinensis . To unravel the mechanism of gene interactions during sex differentiation and gonad development of A. sinensis , we performed transcriptome sequencing using HPG samples from male and female A. sinensis in two developmental stages. In this study, 271.19 Gb high-quality transcriptome data were obtained from 45 samples belonging to 15 individuals (six in stage I, six males and three females in stage II). These transcriptomic data will help us understand the reproductive regulation of the HPG axis in the development stages of A. sinensis and provide important reference data for genomic and genetic studies in A. sinensis and related species.