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Characterization and differential expression of three GnRH forms during reproductive development in cultured turbot Schophthalmus maximus

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Abstract

Turbots (Schophthalmus maximus), one of the most important economic marine flatfish species, fail to undergo final spawning and spermiation naturally under artificial farming conditions. In vertebrates, reproduction is regulated by the brain-pituitary-gonadal axis (BPG-axis), and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is one of its key components. Therefore, to better understand the physiology of reproduction in the turbot, three of the genes encoding GnRH subtypes—sbGnRH, cGnRH - II and sGnRH — were cloned and sequenced by isolating the cDNA sequences. The localizations and patterns of expression of their mRNAs were also evaluated during seasonal gonadal development. All three mRNAs were expressed abundantly in the brain; sbGnRH and sGnRH mRNAs were also detected in the gonads and pituitary gland, and sbGnRH expression was much higher than that of sGnRH, indicating the critical role of sbGnRH in regulating the BPG-axis. Moreover, the brain expression patterns of sbGnRH and sGnRH mRNAs showed an increased trend during gonadal development, peaking in mature stages. This indicated the direct regulation of gonadal development by the GnRH system. In addition, cGnRH - II mRNA expression showed no significant variations, suggesting that cGnRH-II is not critically involved in the control of reproduction. Further, the mRNA abundances of the three GnRH forms in the breeding season were significantly higher than those in immature and post-breeding stages in all analyzed brain areas. Therefore, we propose that sbGnRH is the most important hormone for the regulation of reproduction in turbot via the BPG-axis. These results will help in better understanding the reproductive endocrine mechanisms of turbots and lay the groundwork for additional studies aimed at comparing the reproductive physiology of wild individuals with those raised under artificial conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Chunyan Zhao  (赵春彦), Shihong Xu  (徐世宏), Chengcheng Feng  (丰程程), Yifan Liu  (柳意樊), Yang Yang  (杨阳), Yanfeng Wang  (王彦丰), Yongshuang **ao  (肖永双), Qinghua Liu  (刘清华) & Jun Li  (**军)

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100049, China

    Chunyan Zhao  (赵春彦), Shihong Xu  (徐世宏), Chengcheng Feng  (丰程程) & Yang Yang  (杨阳)

  3. Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Chunyan Zhao  (赵春彦), Chengcheng Feng  (丰程程), Yifan Liu  (柳意樊), Yang Yang  (杨阳), Yanfeng Wang  (王彦丰), Yongshuang **ao  (肖永双), Qinghua Liu  (刘清华) & Jun Li  (**军)

  4. Weihai Shenghang Aquatic Product Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Weihai, 264200, China

    Zongcheng Song  (宋宗诚)

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  1. Chunyan Zhao  (赵春彦)
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  2. Shihong Xu  (徐世宏)
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  6. Yanfeng Wang  (王彦丰)
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  8. Zongcheng Song  (宋宗诚)
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  9. Qinghua Liu  (刘清华)
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Qinghua Liu  (刘清华) or Jun Li  (**军).

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31472264, 31572602), the China Agriculture Research System (No. CARS-47), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project Financially supported by Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Nos. 2015ASKJ02, 2015ASKJ02-03-03), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS and Chinese Academy of Science and Technology Service Network Planning (No. KFJ-EWSTS-060)

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Zhao, C., Xu, S., Feng, C. et al. Characterization and differential expression of three GnRH forms during reproductive development in cultured turbot Schophthalmus maximus. J. Ocean. Limnol. 36, 1360–1373 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-018-7068-y

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