Abstract
DDE transposase 4 (DDE_Tnp_4) family is a large endonuclease family involved in a wide variety of biological processes. However, little information is available about this family in crustaceans. In this study, we used HMMER to identify 39 DDE_Tnp_4 family genes in Eriocheir sinensis genome, and the genes were classified into four subfamilies according to phylogenetic analysis. Gene expansions occurred among E. sinensis genome, and synteny analysis revealed that some DDE_Tnp_4 family genes were caused by tandem duplication. In addition, the expression profiles of DDE_Tnp_4 family genes in E. sinensis indicated that subfamily I and II genes were up-regulated in response to acute high salinity and air exposure stress. E. sinensis is a kind of economical crustacean with strong tolerance to environmental stress. We confirmed the expansion of DDE_Tnp_4 family genes in E. sinensis and speculated that this expansion is associated with strong tolerance of E. sinensis. This study sheds light on characterizations and expression profiles of DDE_Tnp_4 family genes in E. sinensis and provides an integrated framework for further investigation on environmental adaptive functions of DDE_Tnp_4 family in crustaceans.