HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 72/6/1382    most recent biolreprod.104.038216v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by So, W.-K. Articles by Ge, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by So, W.-K. Articles by Ge, W. Agricola Articles by So, W.-K. Articles by Ge, W.

Zebrafish Gonadotropins and Their Receptors: II. Cloning and Characterization of Zebrafish Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone Subunits—Their Spatial-Temporal Expression Patterns and Receptor Specificity¹

Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China

Gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) play critical roles in vertebrate reproduction. In the present study, we cloned and characterized zebrafish FSHß (fshb), LHß (lhb), and GTH (cga) subunits. Compared with the molecules of other teleosts, the cysteine residues and potential glycosylation sites are fully conserved in zebrafish Lhb and Cga but not in Fshb, whose cysteines exhibit unique distribution. Interestingly, in addition to the pituitary, fshß, lhß, and cga were also expressed in some extrapituitary tissues, particularly the gonads and brain. In situ hybridization showed that zebrafish fshß and lhß were expressed in two distinct populations of gonadotrophs in the pituitary. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that all the three subunits increased expression before ovulation (0100–0400) when the germinal vesicles in the full-grown follicles were migrating toward the periphery, but the levels dropped at 0700, when ovulation occurred. Recombinant zebrafish FSH (zfFSH) and LH (zfLH) were produced in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and their effects on the cognate receptors (zebrafish Fshr and Lhr) tested. Interestingly, zfFSH specifically activated zebrafish Fshr expressed together with a cAMP-responsive reporter gene in the CHO cells, whereas zfLH could stimulate both Fshr and Lhr. In conclusion, the present study systematically investigated gonadotropins in the zebrafish in terms of their structure, spatial-temporal expression patterns, and receptor specificity. These results, together with the availability of recombinant zfFSH and zfLH, provide a solid foundation for further studies on the physiological relevance of FSH and LH in the zebrafish, one of the top biological models in vertebrates.

FSH, Fshr, LH, Lhr, pituitary, zebrafish

² Correspondence: Wei Ge, Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. FAX: 852 2603 5646; weige{at}cuhk.edu.hk

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Guner, A. T. Ozacar, J. E. Thomas, and R. O. Karlstrom Graded Hedgehog and Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling Independently Regulate Pituitary Cell Fates and Help Establish the Pars Distalis and Pars Intermedia of the Zebrafish Adenohypophysis Endocrinology, September 1, 2008; 149(9): 4435 - 4451. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. T. Lee, C. Y. Y. Szeto, T. P. Ng, and H. S. Kwan Endocytosis in the Shiitake Mushroom Lentinula edodes and Involvement of GTPase LeRAB7 Eukaryot. Cell, December 1, 2007; 6(12): 2406 - 2418. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Sambroni, F. Le Gac, B. Breton, and J.-J. Lareyre Functional specificity of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gonadotropin receptors as assayed in a mammalian cell line J. Endocrinol., November 1, 2007; 195(2): 213 - 228. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Zmora, Y. Kazeto, R S. Kumar, R. W Schulz, and J. M Trant Production of recombinant channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) FSH and LH in S2 Drosophila cell line and an indication of their different actions J. Endocrinol., August 1, 2007; 194(2): 407 - 416. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Liu and W. Ge Growth Differentiation Factor 9 and Its Spatiotemporal Expression and Regulation in the Zebrafish Ovary Biol Reprod, February 1, 2007; 76(2): 294 - 302. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Ko, W. Park, D.-J. Kim, M. Kobayashi, and Y. C. Sohn Biological activities of recombinant Manchurian trout FSH and LH: their receptor specificity, steroidogenic and vitellogenic potencies J. Mol. Endocrinol., January 1, 2007; 38(1): 99 - 111. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Campbell, J. Dickey, B. Beckman, G. Young, A. Pierce, H. Fukada, and P. Swanson Previtellogenic Oocyte Growth in Salmon: Relationships among Body Growth, Plasma Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, Estradiol-17beta, Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Expression of Ovarian Genes for Insulin-Like Growth Factors, Steroidogenic-Acute Regulatory Protein and Receptors for Gonadotropins, Growth Hormone, and Somatolactin Biol Reprod, July 1, 2006; 75(1): 34 - 44. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I M McGonnell and R C Fowkes Fishing for gene function - endocrine modelling in the zebrafish. J. Endocrinol., June 1, 2006; 189(3): 425 - 439. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]