Genomic cloning, expression, and single nucleotide polymorphism association analysis of the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone gene in the oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense).

Increasing evidence suggests that the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone (IAG) gene plays an important role in male sexual differentiation, metabolism, and growth in crustaceans. In the present study, we isolated the full-length genome sequence of IAG by genome walking based on the cDNA sequence in Macrobrachium nipponense. Four novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were studied, including 509G>T, 529G>T, 590A>T in intron 1, and 2226A>G in intron 2. The association of genetic variation with growth traits [body length (BL) and body weight (BW)] was analyzed. Individuals with GG geno- type at locus 2226A>G maintained higher mean BL (P < 0.01) and BW (P < 0.05) than AA and GA individuals. These results suggest that IAG SNPs may be useful molecular markers for selecting growth traits in M. nipponense.