| Real-time Quantitative PCR assay was performed to investigate the differences in relative expression levels (RELs) of shell matrix protein genes, tissue expression profiles and the expression differences in pearl-culturing oysters (PC) and non-pearlculturing oysters (NPC). The results showed that msi31, aspein and msi7 only expressed in the mantle tissues; nacrein and n19 expressed
in both the mantle and the pearl sac; whereas accbp expressed in all the tissues, including mantle, adductor muscle, gonad, digestive gland, gill and pearl sac, with the highest expression level in the mantle, followed by the gonad. The RELs of accbp, msi31, msi7 and nacrein were significantly different between the mantle of pearl-culturing oysters (PC-M) and the mantle of non-pearl-culturing oysters (NPC-M); aspein and n19 were not. Among others, msi31 upregulated while accbp, msi7 and nacrein downregulated. The REL of msi31 was the highest and n19 was the lowest in both PC-M and NPC-M. But in pearl sac, the REL of n19 was the highest and much higher than that in the mantle. |
