Genome-wide identification, evolution and expression of TGF- signaling pathway members in mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi)

Members of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) signaling pathway regulate diverse cellular biological processes in embryonic and tissue development. We took mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) as the research object to identify all members of the TGF-beta signaling pathway, measure their expression pattern in the key period post hatching, and further explore their possible role in the process of sex regulation. Herein, we identified eighty-three TGF-beta signaling pathway members and located them on chromosomes based on the genome of mandarin fish. TGF-beta signaling pathway members were highly conserved since each TGF-beta subfamily clustered with orthologs from other species. Transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization demonstrated that most mandarin fish TGF-beta signaling pathway members presented stage-specific and/or sex-dimorphic expression during gonadal development, and different members of the TGF-beta signaling pathway participated in different stages of gonadal development. Taken together, our results provide new insight into the role of TGF-beta signaling pathway members in the sex regulation of mandarin fish.