A novel microRNA and its target control growth length in the freshwater shrimp .

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression and play roles in a wide range of physiological processes, including ontogenesis. Herein, we discovered a novel miRNA, novel miR-26, which inhibits translation of the phosphofructokinase (PFK) gene by targeting the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of directly, thereby inhibiting molting and body length growth of the freshwater shrimp Lowering expression of by RNA interference (RNAi) led to a longer ecdysis cycle and smaller individuals. This phenotype was mirrored in shrimps injected with novel miR-26 agomirs, but the opposite phenotype occurred in shrimps injected with novel miR-26 antagomirs (i.

Bursicon homodimers induce innate immune by activating the expression of anti-microbial peptide genes in the shrimp Neocaridina heteropoda.

Bursicon is a neurohormone belonging to the cystine knot protein family. It consists of two subunits (burs α and burs β) and plays a pivotal role in cuticle tanning and wing expansion in insects. Recent studies show that homologous crustacean bursicon stimulates cuticle thickening and granulation of hemocytes in the crab Callinectes sapidus.

Molecular cloning and characterization of glycogen synthase in Eriocheir sinensis.

Glycogen plays an important role in glucose and energy homeostasis at cellular and organismal levels. In glycogen synthesis, glycogen synthase (GS) is a rate-limiting enzyme catalysing the addition of α-1,4-linked glucose units from (UDP)-glucose to a nascent glycogen chain using glycogenin (GN) as a primer. While studies on mammalian liver GS (GYS2) are numerous, enzymes from crustaceans, which also use glycogen and glucose as their main energy source, have received less attention.