RNAi Identified the Potential Functions of Actin-like Protein in the Growth Performance of Macrobrachium nipponense

Figure 1. (A) The open reading frame sequence of the ACTL gene. Both nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences are presented in the 5′ to 3′ direction. A single uppercase letter represents the amino acid code in the deduced amino acid sequence. The methionine initiation codon (ATG) and termination codon (TAA, indicated by an asterisk) are explicitly annotated. (B) The genome structure of the ATCL gene. The number indicates the start and end positions of each exon.

Figure 2. Sequence alignment and structural information of the ACTL protein from M. nipponense. α: α-helix, β: β-sheet, TT: β-bend, η: 310-helix. Red shades indicated that the amino acid sequences were identical across different species, while white shades indicates that the amino acid sequences varied among species. The black font color indicated differences in amino acids among the different species.

Figure 3. Phylogenetic tree analysis of ACTL protein in crustaceans.

Figure 4. The relative expression levels of the ACTL gene in various mature tissues of M. nipponense were determined by qPCR. The EIF gene was used as an internal reference for normalization. Data were presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SD; n = 6). Significant differences in ACTL expression among different tissues were indicated by lowercase letters (p < 0.05). E, eyestalk; BR, brain; H, heart; HE, hepatopancreas; G, gill; M, muscle; O, ovary; T, testis.

Figure 5. (A) The interference efficiency of dsACTL was monitored over a time course by qPCR. Gene expression data were normalized to the EIF reference gene and were expressed as the mean ± SD (n = 6). Asterisks (**) denote a highly significant difference (p < 0.01) between the dsACTL and dsGFP control groups at identical time points. (B) Comparison of Mn-ACTL expression in muscle tissue from dsGFP-injected and normal control groups. The “Normal” group represents untreated control groups. Lowercase letters indicated significant differences (p < 0.05).

Figure 6. Effect of dsACTL injection on weight gain in M. nipponense. Body weight changes were monitored over time following injection with dsACTL or dsGFP (control). Significant differences between the dsACTL and dsGFP groups at the same time point are indicated by * (p < 0.05) and ** (p < 0.01). (A) Weight gain in females. (B) Weight gain in males. (C) Percentage increase in body mass for females. (D) Percentage increase in body mass for males.

Figure 7. Histological changes of abdominal muscle tissue after 18 days of dsACTL and dsGFP injection. The area indicated by the arrow was the scattered erosion region in myofibrils.