Transcriptome analysis during sex reversal in Monopterus albus

The rice field eel (Monopterus albus) is an economically important freshwater-farmed fish with natural sex reversal characteristics, which results in low egg production and seedling shortage. Limited epigenomic and transcriptomic information during sex reversal hinders research on the reproductive development of Monopterus albus. In this investigation, 9 key stages during sex reversal were collected for multi-omics experiments, including PacBio Iso-seq, RNA-seq and ATAC-seq. Through combined analysis of Iso-seq and RNA-seq, we constructed more accurate transcript annotation than those from NCBI. A total of 37,911 unannotated transcripts were obtained, including transcripts from novel genes and alternative splicing structures, etc. The noteworthy point is that our annotations have more precise polyA locations. In addition, we identified multiple potential cis-regulatory elements with high confidence based on changes in chromatin accessibility by ATAC-seq, providing precise targets for regulating gene expression and thereby modulating gonadal development. In summary, we provides a comprehensive and convenient data resource for studying sex reversal-related mechanisms from multiple perspectives.