The redclaw crayfish is sexually dimorphic, with males preferring females in terms of growth rate and size. Currently, the molecular mechanism of sexual dimorphism is not well understood in crustaceans, and studies on the joint analysis of the gonadal metabolome and transcriptome of male and female individuals of redclaw crayfish are limited. In this study, we found that there were differences in relevant metabolites and metabolic pathways between intersex and normal individuals, including metabolites such as testosterone glucuronide, cortisol, pregnenolone sulfate, and estrone glucuronide, as well as steroid hormone synthesis pathways, lipid metabolism pathways, amino acid metabolism, and other metabolic pathways. The joint analysis of metabolome and transcriptome identified differential genes such as cyp3a40, cyp18a1, hsd17b12b, and cyp19a, and co-enriched pathways such as insulin signaling pathway, TGF-β signaling pathway, and FoxO signaling pathway, indicating that they may play a significant role in sex differentiation of redclaw crayfish. Our results provide a reference for the molecular mechanism of gonadal development between male and female individuals of redclaw crayfish.

中文翻译：

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红螯虾 （Cherax quadricarinatus） 双性腺的转录组和代谢组分析


红爪螯虾是性二态性的，雄性在生长速度和大小方面更喜欢雌性。目前，甲壳类动物性二态性的分子机制尚不十分清楚，对红爪螯虾雄性和雌性个体性腺代谢组和转录组的联合分析研究有限。在这项研究中，我们发现双性人和正常个体在相关代谢产物和代谢途径上存在差异，包括睾酮葡萄糖醛酸苷、皮质醇、硫酸孕烯醇酮和雌酮葡萄糖醛酸苷等代谢产物，以及类固醇激素合成途径、脂质代谢途径、氨基酸代谢等代谢途径。代谢组和转录组的联合分析鉴定出 cyp3a40、cyp18a1、hsd17b12b 和 cyp19a 等差异基因，以及胰岛素信号通路、TGF-β 信号通路和 FoxO 信号通路等共富集通路，表明它们可能在红爪小龙虾的性别分化中发挥重要作用。本研究结果为红龙虾雄性和雌性个体性腺发育的分子机制提供了参考。