Full-length normalization subtractive hybridization analysis provides new insights into sexual precocity and ovarian development of red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii

The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is one of the most important freshwater aquaculture species in Chinese inland. We screened 16 sequences that are potentially involved in sexual precocity of P. clarkii. One candidate was demonstrated to be a novel ovary-specific C1q-like gene of P. clarkii, thus named PcC1q-like. Knockdown of PcC1q-like resulted in disruption of follicular cells, decreased transcripts of Vg and VgR, and reduced progesterone, suggesting its essential role in vitellogenic ovarian development of P. clarkii.