Construction of a RACE cDNA Library of the Mitten Crab Ovary

Using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) approach, partial cDNA sequences of the differentially expressed genes that are related to the development of the ovary of the mitten crab (Eriocheir japonica sinensis) were obtained. To get full-length cDNA sequences of these genes, a RACE cDNA library of the ovary during stage Ⅲ was constructed successfully with SMART technique. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that the lengths of full-length cDNAs in this library were pooled mainly between 500 and 2?000 base pairs. By RACE PCR, amplified products were obtained with all the gene-specific primers and adaptor primers. This verified that the quality of the RACE cDNA library was high and was appropriate for cloning the full-length cDNAs of these genes.