Can genetic diversity be maintained during mass selection of the Chinese mitten crab,Eriocheir sinensis?

The accuracy of qPCR depends on the stability of the reference gene used for data normalization. However, the stably expressed reference genes in the Chinese mitten crab,Eriocheir sinensis, have not been well identified under different experimental conditions. In this study, the stabilities of the expressions of 10 candidate reference genes were evaluated in different developmental stages, tissues, and moulting stages ofE. sinensis. Our results indicated thatUBEandS27were the most stable reference genes. To validate the suitability of the reference genes, theEcR(ecdysone receptor) gene was analysed among different moulting stages. The results showed that the expression level ofEcRwas elevated using the least stable reference gene,GST, compared with using the three most stable reference genes. Taken together, our results indicate that reference genes should be assessed and selected in accordance with the experimental conditions, and more than one reference gene should be selected.

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Genetic diversity and genetic structure of farmed and wild Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) populations from three major basins by mitochondrial DNA COI and Cyt b gene sequences

Mitochondrial DNA Part A ◽

10.1080/24701394.2017.1404048 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 29 (7) ◽

pp. 1081-1089 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cheng Zhang ◽

Qingqing Li ◽

Xugan Wu ◽

Qing Liu ◽

Yongxu Cheng

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Eriocheir Sinensis ◽

Cyt B ◽

Gene Sequences ◽

Chinese Mitten Crab ◽

Mitten Crab ◽

Cyt B Gene

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First indication of Japanese mitten crabs in Europe and cryptic genetic diversity of invasive Chinese mitten crabs

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.50.34881 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 ◽

pp. 1-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sarah Hayer ◽

Dirk Brandis ◽

Günther B. Hartl ◽

Christine Ewers-Saucedo

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Eriocheir Sinensis ◽

Source Population ◽

Rapid Adaptation ◽

Chinese Mitten Crab ◽

Introduced Range ◽

Mitten Crab ◽

Mitten Crabs ◽

Coi Sequences

The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) is a prominent aquatic invader with substantial negative economic and environmental impacts. The aim of the present study was to re-evaluate the genetic diversity of mitten crabs throughout their native and invaded ranges based on publicly available sequence data, and assess if multiple introductions or rapid adaptation could be responsible for biologically divergent mitten crabs in Northern Europe. We assembled available genetic data of a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit one gene (COI) for all species of the genus Eriocheir. We applied phylogenetic and population genetic analyses to compare native and invasive populations, and to identify possible source populations. The phylogenetic reconstruction revealed that five COI sequences from Europe, morphologically identified as Chinese mitten crab, actually belong to the Japanese mitten crab (Eriocheir japonica), representing the first indication of its presence in European waters. All other COI sequences from Europe could unambiguously be assigned to the Chinese mitten crab. In some Northern German populations of Chinese mitten crabs, genetic diversity was surprisingly high, due to seven unique haplotypes encoding several amino acid substitutions. This diversity may reflect a cryptic introduction from an unsampled native location, or rapid adaptation in the invaded range. Based on the genetic diversity shared between native and introduced range, Feiyunjiang, a tributary of the Yangtze River, emerges as a plausible source population for the original introduction of Chinese mitten crabs to Europe. This study highlights the complex and dynamic invasion processes of mitten crabs in Europe. We urge to further monitor mitten crab invasions using genetic tools.

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