Ph.D.: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Post-doctorate: University of Connecticut, USA
Position: Professor
Department of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences
E-mail: sagia@bgu.ac.il

Webpage: www.bgu.ac.il/~sagia

Genes and gene products in comparative and applied endocrinology: Regulation of sexual differentiation, reproduction and growth in marine and freshwater invertebrates 

 

  • Background

Crustacean models are employed in our laboratory for the study of genes and gene products related to processes of sexual differentiation and skeletal bio-mineralization. In particular, we study the endocrine regulation of sexual differentiation, gonad maturation, growth, molt and the related processes of calcium mobilization and bio-mineralization. Control of the above events will enable the development of biotechnological tools for crop improvement via monosex culturing, soft shell-based products as well as for human food additives and drugs.

 

  • Current research

Gonad maturation, vitellogenesis, and lipoprotein synthesis. The vitellogenin gene, its expression pattern and bioinformatic entities.

Regulation of growth, molt and calcium mobilization. The role of ecdysteroids and eyestalk neuropeptides in the regulation of events related to the molt cycle, exoskeleton, gastrolith formation and gene expression in the above target organs.

Functional genomics of growth regulators and skeletal proteins related to gender and biomineralization.

Sex-determination, a search for sex-specific genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic markers to asses the role of the androgenic gland and its secretion.

Sexual plasticity – the regulatory role of the androgenic gland in sex-differentiation and intersexuality of crustaceans. Development of biotechnologies for the production of monosex crustacean populations.

Food additives and drugs based on natural products derived from edible crustaceans. Both cellular and extracellular components are tested.

 

  • Selected publications

Shechter A., Glazer L., Cheled S., Mor E., Weil S., Berman A., Bentov S., Aflalo E.D., Khalaila I. and Sagi A. (2008). A gastrolith protein serving a dual role in the formation of an amorphous mineral containing extracellular matrix. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. 106(20):7129-7134.

Ventura T., Rosen O. and Sagi A. (2011). From the discovery of the crustacean androgenic gland to the insulin-like hormone in six decades. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 173(3):381-388. Including cover art.

Ventura T. and Sagi A. (2012). The insulin-like androgenic gland hormone in crustaceans: from a single gene silencing to a wide array of sexual manipulation-based biotechnologies. Biotechnology Advances 30:1543-1550.

Sagi A., Manor R. and Ventura T. (2013). Gene Silencing in Crustaceans: From Basic Research to Biotechnologies. Genes 4:620-645.

Ventura T., Manor R., Aflalo E.D., Chalifa-Caspi V., Weil S., Sharabi O. and Sagi A. (2013). Post-embryonic transcriptomes of the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii: multigenic succession through metamorphosis. PLoS ONE 8(1):e55322.

Rosen O., Weil S., Manor R., Roth Z., Khalaila I. and Sagi A. (2013). A crayfish insulin-like binding protein: Another piece in the androgenic gland insulin-like hormone puzzle is revealed. Journal of Biological Chemistry 288:22289-22298.