Characterization and expression analysis of serpins in the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

Inhibitory effect of a reproductive‐related serpin on sperm trypsin‐like activity implicates its role in sperm maturation of Penaeus monodon

“…This hypothesis is analogous to findings that a Kazal‐ and Serpin‐type protease inhibitor (HongrES1, SERPINE2, PN‐1, or Spink3) plays a role in male fertility in Mus musculus (Lu et al, ; Murer et al, ; Ni et al, ; Zalazar et al, ; Zhou et al, ), while a Kazal‐type serpin Mrpink in the spermatic tract was reported in M. rosenbergii (Cao, Dai, Dai, Yin, & Yang, ). Recently, EsSERPIN3 was also identified in spermatic tract and sperm of Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis (Li et al, ). Therefore, the presence of Kazal‐type inhibitors and serpins in the spermatic tracts suggests a role for serine‐type protease inhibitors in sperm maturation of crustaceans.…”

“…Serpins were also found to be involved in nematode sperm maturation, suggesting their involvement in invertebrate fertility (Zhao et al, ). In crustaceans, the presence of Mrpink, EsSerpin‐3, and Alpha‐2 macroglobulin in male reproductive tract implicated their role in sperm maturation (Li et al, , ; Senarai et al, ). Finding a new sperm maturation factor, such as inhibitors that modulates sperm protease activity, will pave the way for fertilization control and fertility assessment in P. monodon .…”

Transcriptome using Illumina sequencing reveals the traits of spermatogenesis and developing testes in Eriocheir sinensis

“…However, the mechanism of nuclear decondensation of latter yet needs to further study although some roles of many genes and (or) their encoding proteins involved in the spermatogenesis of E . sinensis had been reported [ 4 – 9 , 21 – 27 ]. The transcriptome traits of developing testes would give us a window to look at the tip of the iceberg of the relevant issue.…”

“…To date, we have clearly known the structure and the spatiotemporal changes of the male reproductive system and the various germ cells in the male reproductive system during the spermatogenesis [ 1 – 3 ]. In recent 2 decades, researchers have been exploring the possible mechanisms of spermatogenesis at the molecular level [ 4 – 10 ]. In recent years, with the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, we have been able to explore the gene expressing patterns and the possible physiological or pathological function in the specific tissues and organs in a particular developmental stage or under the condition of influence of specific environmental factors at the fully transcriptomic level.…”

A New Gene SCY3 Homologous to Scygonadin Showing Antibacterial Activity and a Potential Role in the Sperm Acrosome Reaction of Scylla paramamosain

“…In S. paramamosain , the AR process is divided into three typical steps, as described in [ 8 ], namely (1) eversion of acrosomal vesicles; (2) extension of acrosomal tubules and contraction of the nuclear cup; (3) disappearance of acrosomal vesicles and the completion of the reaction. The molecular information during AR is relatively limited in invertebrates: in Chinese mitten crab, p38 MAPK participates in spermatogenesis and the AR [ 9 ]; Es-ADAM10 and Es-ADAM17 were also involved in spermatogenesis [ 10 ]; Esserpin-3 is an intrinsic sperm protein involved in the regulation of sperm maturation and the AR [ 11 ]; UBS27 and UBL40 play key roles in gametogenesis and reproductive success; and ERK was involved in the process of AR of E. sinensis [ 12 ]. Since the AR-associated molecules (e.g., CatSper) have not been identified in the mud crab, the molecular basis of PG-induced AR of the mud crab remains unclarified, and SCY2 and Screprocin were crucial proteins in AR of S. paramamosain [ 13 ].…”