Es-beta-CATENIN affects the hemolymph-testes barrier in Eriocheir sinensis by disrupting cell junctions and cytoskeleton

beta-CATENIN is an evolutionarily conserved multifunctional molecule that maintains cell adhesion as a cell junction protein to safeguard the integrity of the mammalian blood-testes barrier, and also regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis as a key signaling molecule in the WNT/beta-CATENIN signaling pathway. In the crustacean Eriocheir sinensis, Es-beta-CATENIN has been shown to be involved in spermatogenesis, but the testes of E. sinensis have large and well-defined structural differences from those of mammals, and the impact of Es-beta-CATENIN in them is still unknown. In the present study, we found that Es-beta-CATENIN, Es-a-CATENIN and Es-ZO-1 interact differently in the testes of the crab compared to mammals. In addition, defective Es-eta-CATENIN resulted in increased Es-a-CATENIN protein expression levels, distorted and deformed F-ACTIN, and disturbed localization of Es- a-CATENIN and Es-ZO-1, leading to loss of hemolymph-testes barrier integrity and impaired sperm release. In addition to this, we also performed the first molecular cloning and bioinformatics analysis of Es-AXIN in the WNT/beta-CATENIN pathway to exclude the effect of the WNT/beta-CATENIN pathway on the cytoskeleton. In conclusion, Es-beta-CATENIN participates in maintaining the hemolymph-testes barrier in the spermatogenesis of E. sinensis.

Automated summary

The study found that Es-beta-CATENIN participates in maintaining the hemolymph-testes barrier in the spermatogenesis of E. sinensis. By interacting with other proteins, it maintains the integrity of the hemolymph-testes barrier and also regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis, playing a crucial role in normal sperm release.