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Li M, Yang L, Zhang L, Zhang Q, Liu Y. Specific biomarkers and neurons distribution of different brain regions in largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides). Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1385575. [PMID: 38745953 PMCID: PMC11091468 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1385575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain regulates multiple physiological processes in fish. Despite this, knowledge about the basic structure and function of distinct brain regions in non-model fish species remains limited due to their diversity and the scarcity of common biomarkers. In the present study, four major brain parts, the telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon and rhombencephalon, were isolated in largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides. Within these parts, nine brain regions and 74 nuclei were further identified through morphological and cytoarchitectonic analysis. Transcriptome analysis revealed a total of 7153 region-highly expressed genes and 176 region-specifically expressed genes. Genes related to growth, reproduction, emotion, learning, and memory were significantly overexpressed in the olfactory bulb and telencephalon (OBT). Feeding and stress-related genes were in the hypothalamus (Hy). Visual system-related genes were predominantly enriched in the optic tectum (OT), while vision and hearing-related genes were widely expressed in the cerebellum (Ce) region. Sensory input and motor output-related genes were in the medulla oblongata (Mo). Osmoregulation, stress response, sleep/wake cycles, and reproduction-related genes were highly expressed in the remaining brain (RB). Three candidate marker genes were further identified for each brain regions, such as neuropeptide FF (npff) for OBT, pro-melanin-concentrating hormone (pmch) for Hy, vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter (viaat) for OT, excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (eaat1) for Ce, peripherin (prph) for Mo, and isotocin neurophysin (itnp) for RB. Additionally, the distribution of seven neurotransmitter-type neurons and five types of non-neuronal cells across different brain regions were analyzed by examining the expression of their marker genes. Notably, marker genes for glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons showed the highest expression levels across all brain regions. Similarly, the marker gene for radial astrocytes exhibited high expression compared to other markers, while those for microglia were the least expressed. Overall, our results provide a comprehensive overview of the structural and functional characteristics of distinct brain regions in the largemouth bass, which offers a valuable resource for understanding the role of central nervous system in regulating physiological processes in teleost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meijia Li
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science (BEFS), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Leshan Yang
- College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian, China
- College of Marine Technology and Environment, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian, China
- College of Marine Technology and Environment, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian, China
| | - Ying Liu
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science (BEFS), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian, China
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Yang L, Li Y, Wu Y, Sun S, Song Q, Wei J, Sun L, Li M, Wang D, Zhou L. Rln3a is a prerequisite for spermatogenesis and fertility in male fish. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 197:105517. [PMID: 31678357 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2019.105517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The essential roles of Relaxin3 (RLN3) in energy homeostasis had been well investigated, while the mechanisms of RLN3 regulating reproduction remain to be elusive in mammals. Although two rln3 paralogues have been characterized in several teleosts, their functions still remain largely unknown. In this study, two paralogous rln3 genes, represented as rln3a and rln3b, were identified from the testis of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Rln3a was dominantly expressed in testis, while the most abundant rln3b expression was in brain. In situ hybridization demonstrated that rln3a is abundantly expressed in the Leydig cells of the testis. To understand the role of Rln3 in the testicular development, homologous null-rln3a gene mutant line was constructed by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Morphological observation demonstrated that null mutation of rln3a gene caused testicular hypertrophy and a significant increase of GSI. However, a significant decrease of spermatogenic cells at different phases, i.e. spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and sperms was found. Silencing of rln3a gene repressed the expression of key genes in germ cell and Leydig cell. Deficiency of Rln3a led to the significant decrease of 11-KT production, which stimulated the up-regulation of both FSH and LH production in the pituitary via a negative feedback manner possibly. Mutation of rln3a in XY fish led to the hypogonadism with sperm deformation, significant decrease of fertility, and sperm motility, revealing as the high mortality of the offspring obtained by crossing the wild type female and rln3a-/- XY fish. Interestingly, recombinant human RLN3 injection significantly enhanced the sperm motility in rln3a-/- XY fish. Moreover, hCG treatment stimulated the expression of steroidogenic enzyme genes and 11-KT production, which were repressed by rln3a mutation in XY fish. Taken together, this study, for the first time by using a gene knockout model, proved that Rln3a is an indispensable mediator for androgen production in testis via HPG axis, and plays an essential role in spermatogenesis, sperm motility and male fertility in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanying Yang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yanlong Li
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - You Wu
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Shaohua Sun
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Qiang Song
- Chongqing Three Gorges Central Hospital, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jing Wei
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Lina Sun
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Minghui Li
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Deshou Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Linyan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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Alnafea H, Vahkal B, Zelmer CK, Yegorov S, Bogerd J, Good SV. Japanese medaka as a model for studying the relaxin family genes involved in neuroendocrine regulation: Insights from the expression of fish-specific rln3 and insl5 and rxfp3/4-type receptor paralogues. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2019; 487:2-11. [PMID: 30703485 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to establish Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) as a model for relaxin family peptide research, particularly for studying the functions of RLN3 and INSL5, hormones playing roles in neuroendocrine regulation. Medaka, like other teleosts, retained duplicate copies of rln3, insl5 and their rxfp3/4-type receptors following fish-specific whole genome duplication (WGD) and paralogous copies of these genes may have sub-functionalised providing an intuitive model for teasing apart the pleiotropic roles of the corresponding genes in mammals. To this end, we provide experimental evidence for the expression of the relaxin family genes in medaka that had previously only been identified in-silico, confirm the gene structure of five of the ligand genes, characterise gene expression across multiple tissues and during embryonic development, perform in situ hybridization with anti-sense insl5a on embryos and in adult brain and intestinal samples, and compare these results to the data available in zebrafish. We find broad similarities but also some differences in the expression of relaxin family genes in zebrafish versus medaka, and find support for the hypothesis that the rln3a/rln3b and insl5a/insl5b paralogues have been subfunctionalized. Given that medaka has a suite of relaxin family genes more similar to other teleosts, and has retained the gene for rxfp4 (which is lost in zebrafish), our results suggest that O. latipes may be a good model for delineating the ancestral function of the relaxin family genes involved in neuroendocrine regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hend Alnafea
- Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Brett Vahkal
- Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - C Kellie Zelmer
- Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Sergey Yegorov
- Department of Immunology, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jan Bogerd
- Reproductive Biology Group, Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sara V Good
- Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; Department of Biology, The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
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Bathgate RA, Kocan M, Scott DJ, Hossain MA, Good SV, Yegorov S, Bogerd J, Gooley PR. The relaxin receptor as a therapeutic target – perspectives from evolution and drug targeting. Pharmacol Ther 2018; 187:114-132. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Cao Q, Gu J, Wang D, Liang F, Zhang H, Li X, Yin S. Physiological mechanism of osmoregulatory adaptation in anguillid eels. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2018; 44:423-433. [PMID: 29344774 PMCID: PMC5862950 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-018-0464-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the production of eel larvae has dramatic declines due to reductions in spawning stocks, overfishing, growth habitat destruction and access reductions, and pollution. Therefore, it is particularly important and urgent for artificial production of glass eels. However, the technique of artificial hatching and rearing larvae is still immature, which has long been regarded as an extremely difficult task. One of the huge gaps is artificial condition which is far from the natural condition to develop their capability of osmoregulation. Thus, understanding their osmoregulatory mechanisms will help to improve the breed and adapt to the changes in the environment. In this paper, we give a general review for a study progress of osmoregulatory mechanisms in eels from five aspects including tissues and organs, ion transporters, hormones, proteins, and high throughput sequencing methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanquan Cao
- College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China
| | - Jie Gu
- Institute of Life Science, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, 212000, China
| | - Dan Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China
| | - Fenfei Liang
- College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China
| | - Hongye Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China
| | - Xinru Li
- College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China
| | - Shaowu Yin
- College of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biotechnology of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China.
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Divergence of insulin superfamily ligands, receptors and Igf binding proteins in marine versus freshwater stickleback: Evidence of selection in known and novel genes. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2017; 25:53-61. [PMID: 29149730 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a teleost model for understanding genetic, physiological and morphological changes accompanying freshwater (FW) adaptation. There is growing evidence that the insulin superfamily plays important roles in traits involved in marine and FW adaptation. We performed a candidate gene analysis to look for evidence of selection on 33 insulin superfamily ligand-receptor genes and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (Igfbp's) in stickleback. Using genotype data from 11 marine and 10 FW populations, we calculated the number of SNPs per site in regulatory and intronic regions, the number of synonymous and nonsynonymous mutations in coding regions, Wright's fixation index (Fst), and performed t-tests to identify SNPs with divergent genotype frequencies between marine/FW versus Atlantic/Pacific populations. Next, we analysed genome-wide transcriptome data from eight tissues to assess differential gene expression. Two Igfbp's (Igfbp2a and Igfbp5a) show evidence of divergent adaptation between life-history types, and a cluster of nonsynonymous mutations in Igfbp5a exhibit high Fst in exons apparently alternatively spliced in gill. We find evidence of selection on the relaxin family ligand-receptor gene pair, Insl3-Rxfp2, known to be involved in male spermatogenesis and bone metabolism, and in the 5' regulatory region of Igf2. We also confirmed the gene and coding sequence of two unannotated relaxin family ligands. These analyses underscore the utility of candidate gene studies and indicate directions for further exploration of the function of insulin superfamily genes in FW adaptation.
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Yegorov S, Bogerd J, Good SV. The relaxin family peptide receptors and their ligands: new developments and paradigms in the evolution from jawless fish to mammals. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 209:93-105. [PMID: 25079565 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Relaxin family peptide receptors (Rxfps) and their ligands, relaxin (Rln) and insulin-like (Insl) peptides, are broadly implicated in the regulation of reproductive and neuroendocrine processes in mammals. Most placental mammals harbour genes for four receptors, namely rxfp1, rxfp2, rxfp3 and rxfp4. The number and identity of rxfps in other vertebrates are immensely variable, which is probably attributable to intraspecific variation in reproductive and neuroendocrine regulation. Here, we highlight several interesting, but greatly overlooked, aspects of the rln/insl-rxfp evolutionary history: the ancient origin, recruitment of novel receptors, diverse roles of selection, differential retention and lineage-specific loss of genes over evolutionary time. The tremendous diversity of rln/insl and rxfp genes appears to have arisen from two divergent receptors and one ligand that were duplicated by whole genome duplications (WGD) in early vertebrate evolution, although several genes, notably relaxin in mammals, were also duplicated via small scale duplications. Duplication and loss of genes have varied across lineages: teleosts retained more WGD-derived genes, dominated by those thought to be involved in neuroendocrine regulation (rln3, insl5 and rxfp 3/4 genes), while eutherian mammals witnessed the diversification and rapid evolution of genes involved in reproduction (rln/insl3). Several genes that arose early in evolutionary history were lost in most mammals, but retained in teleosts and, to a lesser extent, in early diverging tetrapods. To elaborate on their evolutionary history, we provide updated phylogenies of the Rxfp1/2 and Rxfp3/4 receptors and their ligands, including new sequences from early diverging vertebrate taxa such as coelacanth, skate, spotted gar, and lamprey. We also summarize the recent progress made towards understanding the functional biology of Rxfps in non-mammalian taxa, providing a new conceptual framework for research on Rxfp signaling across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Yegorov
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 599 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jan Bogerd
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sara V Good
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 599 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
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Kusakabe M, Ishikawa A, Kitano J. Relaxin-related gene expression differs between anadromous and stream-resident stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) following seawater transfer. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 205:197-206. [PMID: 24973563 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/15/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Relaxin (RLN) is a hormone that was originally identified as a regulator of pregnancy and reproduction. However, recent mammalian studies have demonstrated that relaxins also have potent osmoregulatory actions. In mammals, six relaxin family peptides have been identified: RLN1/2, RLN3, insulin-like peptide (INSL) 3, INSL4, INSL5, and INSL6. Previous genome database searches have revealed that teleosts also possess multiple relaxin family genes. However, the functions of these relaxin family peptides in teleosts remain unclear. In order to gain insight into the osmoregulatory functions of teleost relaxins, we studied the relaxin family peptides in euryhaline three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which have diversified into a variety of ecotypes. Rln3a, rln3b, and rln transcripts were abundant in the stickleback brain, whereas insl5b transcript levels were highest in the intestine among tissues. Seawater challenge experiments showed that transcript levels of rln3a, rln3b, and rln in the brain changed significantly after seawater transfer. Particularly, rln3b showed different patterns of temporal changes between anadromous and stream-resident morphs. The transcript levels of relaxin family peptide receptors, rxfp1, rxfp2b, rxfp3-2a, and rxfp3-2b, did not exhibit substantial changes in the brain, although these were constantly higher in the anadromous morph than the stream-resident morph. These results suggest that stickleback relaxin systems are differentially regulated by salinity signals, at least at the transcriptional level, and anadromous and stream-resident morphs differ in relaxin signaling pathways. The differences in the expression of relaxin-related genes between these two morphs provide a foundation for further exploration of the osmoregulatory function of relaxins in teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Kusakabe
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8564, Japan.
| | - Asano Ishikawa
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Jun Kitano
- Ecological Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
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Fiengo M, del Gaudio R, Iazzetti G, Di Giaimo R, Minucci S, Aniello F, Donizetti A. Developmental expression pattern of two zebrafish rxfp3 paralogue genes. Dev Growth Differ 2013; 55:766-75. [PMID: 24147554 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Revised: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 09/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, the RXFP3 is the cognate receptor of the relaxin-3 peptide (RLN3). In teleosts, many different orthologue genes for RXFP3 are present. In particular, two paralogue genes, rxfp3-2a and rxfp3-2b, likely encode the receptors for the Rln3a peptide. The transcription of these two rxfp3 genes is differentially regulated early during zebrafish embryogenesis. Indeed, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses show that the rxfp3-2b transcript is always present during embryo development, while the rxfp3-2a transcript is detectable only at larval stage. By in situ hybridization experiments on embryos and larvae, the rxfp3-2b transcript was revealed in the brain and in the retinal ganglion cell layer and thymus. Particularly in the brain, many territories are involved in the rxfp3-2b expression, among them the optic tectum, thalamus, preoptic area, different nerve nuclei, habenula and pineal gland. The RXFP3 spatiotemporal expression pattern appears to be conserved between Danio rerio and mammals, as also previously showed for the corresponding ligand, the RLN3. Interestingly, the brain areas expressing the rxfp3-2b receptor gene are involved in the visual system, emotional behaviors and circadian rhythm and could be functionally related to the neurotransmitter Rln3a-expressing territories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Fiengo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Italy
| | - Rosanna del Gaudio
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Italy
| | - Giovanni Iazzetti
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Italy
| | - Rossella Di Giaimo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Italy
| | - Sergio Minucci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Second University of Naples, Via Costantinopoli 16, Naples, 80138, Italy
| | - Francesco Aniello
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Italy
| | - Aldo Donizetti
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia, 80126, Italy
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New insights into ligand-receptor pairing and coevolution of relaxin family peptides and their receptors in teleosts. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 2012; 2012:310278. [PMID: 23008798 PMCID: PMC3449138 DOI: 10.1155/2012/310278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Relaxin-like peptides (RLN/INSL) play diverse roles in reproductive and neuroendocrine processes in placental mammals and are functionally associated with two distinct types of receptors (RXFP) for each respective function. The diversification of RLN/INSL and RXFP gene families in vertebrates was predominantly driven by whole genome duplications (2R and 3R). Teleosts preferentially retained duplicates of genes putatively involved in neuroendocrine regulation, harboring a total of 10-11 receptors and 6 ligand genes, while most mammals have equal numbers of ligands and receptors. To date, the ligand-receptor relationships of teleost Rln/Insl peptides and their receptors have largely remained unexplored. Here, we use selection analyses based on sequence data from 5 teleosts and qPCR expression data from zebrafish to explore possible ligand-receptor pairings in teleosts. We find support for the hypothesis that, with the exception of RLN, which has undergone strong positive selection in mammalian lineages, the ligand and receptor genes shared between mammals and teleosts appear to have similar pairings. On the other hand, the teleost-specific receptors show evidence of subfunctionalization. Overall, this study underscores the complexity of RLN/INSL and RXFP ligand-receptor interactions in teleosts and establishes theoretical background for further experimental work in nonmammals.
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Fiengo M, Donizetti A, del Gaudio R, Minucci S, Aniello F. Characterization, cDNA cloning and expression pattern of relaxin gene during embryogenesis of Danio rerio. Dev Growth Differ 2012; 54:579-87. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-169x.2012.01361.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2011] [Revised: 05/04/2012] [Accepted: 05/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Fiengo
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Naples Federico II; Via Mezzocannone 8; 80134; Napoli; Italy
| | - Aldo Donizetti
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Naples Federico II; Via Mezzocannone 8; 80134; Napoli; Italy
| | - Rosanna del Gaudio
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Naples Federico II; Via Mezzocannone 8; 80134; Napoli; Italy
| | - Sergio Minucci
- Department of Experimental Medicine; Second University of Naples; Via Costantinopoli 16; 80138; Napoli; Italy
| | - Francesco Aniello
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Naples Federico II; Via Mezzocannone 8; 80134; Napoli; Italy
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