To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the spermiogenesis of the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus, full lengths of motor proteins KIFC1 and myosin Va were cloned by rapid-amplification of cDNA ends from P. trituberculatus testes cDNA, and their respective probes and specific antibodies were used to track their localization during sperm maturation. Antisense probes were designed from the gene sequences and used to detect the mRNA levels of each gene. According to the results of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the transcription of kifc1 and myosin Va began at the mid-stage of spermatids, with the kifc1 mRNA being most active at the location where the acrosome cap was formed and the myosin Va was more concentrated in the acrosome complex. Immunofluorescence results showed that KIFC1 and myosin Va were highly expressed in each stage of spermigenesis. In the early spermatids, they were randomly dispersed in the cytoplasm together with cytoskeletons. At the mid-stage, the motors were gathered above one side of the nucleus where the acrosome would later form. In the late spermatids and mature sperm, the KIFC1 was closely distributed in the perinuclear region, indicating its role in nucleus deformation. Myosin Va was distributed in the acrosome complex until sperm maturity. This suggests myosin Va's potential role in material transportation during acrosome formation and maturation. The above results provide a preliminary illustration of the essential roles of KIFC1 and myosin Va in the spermiogenesis of the swimming crab P. trituberculatus.
Keywords: Cytoskeleton; KIFC1; Myosin Va; Portunus Trituberculatus; Spermiogenesis.