MAT1 (ménage à trois 1), an assembly factor and targeting subunit of the CDK-dependent kinase (CAK), can regulate the cell cycle, transcription, and DNA repair. This study was intended to investigate the role of MAT1 in the reproductive maturation of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). In this study, the P. monodon MAT1 (PmMAT1) gene was identified and characterized. The full-length cDNA of PmMAT1 was 1490 bp in length with an open-reading frame of 993 bp corresponding to 330 amino acids. The temporal expression of PmMAT1 in various tissues was measured by quantitative real-time PCR with the highest expression observed in ovaries. In the ovaries, the PmMAT1 gene was continuously but differentially expressed during the maturation stages. Comparative analyses of MAT1, CDK7, and cyclin H in the CAK complex of P. monodon indicated that the expression of CDK7 and cyclin H coincided with that of MAT1 during the ovary maturation stages. Serotonin (5-HT) injection promoted the expression level of PmMAT1 in the ovaries of shrimp at 6-48 h post-injection. These results indicate that PmMat1 plays a prominent role in the process of ovarian maturation.
