Project description:Sex determination is the process by which and original bipotential gonad differentiate into either a testis or ovaries. While mammals and birds determine their sex solely by genetic clues (genetic sex determination, GSD), other vertebrates like the turtle Trachemys scripta are influenced by environmental factors, like temperature (environmental sex determination, ESD). In both cases an initially bipotential gonad develops into either testes or ovaries in response to GSD or ESD cues. In order to shed light into the differences and similarities between sex determination systems we performed single-cell RNA-seq on Trachemys scripta developing gonads during the sex determination window.
Project description:Pain management is an important issue in veterinary medicine, requiring biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for the timely and effective treatment. Emerging evidence suggests that miRNAs are promising pain-related markers. The aims were to profile the circulating miRNA signature in plasma of turtles (Trachemys scripta) and point out potential candidate biomarkers of pain. Plasma of female turtles underwent surgical gonadectomy were collected 24h pre-surgery, and 2.5h and 36 h post-surgery. The expression of miRNAs was profiled by Next Generation Sequencing and the dysregulated miRNAs were validated using RT-qPCR. The diagnostic value of miRNAs was calculated by ROC curves.
