The cDNA sequences encoding two distinct cytochrome P450 aromatases, namely P450aromB and P450aromA, were isolated from brain and ovary cDNA libraries of the orange-spotted grouper, respectively. The P450aromB cDNA consists of 1892bp, and the open reading frame (ORF) encodes a putative protein of 506 amino acids. The P450aromA cDNA consists of 1836 bp, and the ORF encodes a putative protein of 518 amino acids. Northern blot analysis revealed a transcript of about 1.9kb for P450aromB in the brain and kidney, and 2.1kb for P450aromA in the ovary. The expression of both P450aromB and P450aromA genes in different tissues was further examined using one-step RT-PCR followed by Southern blot analysis. High levels of P450aromB mRNA expression were detected in the olfactory bulb, forebrain, midbrain, hypothalamus, medulla, pituitary, gill filament, gill arch, kidney, muscle, adipose tissue, and blood cells, but low levels in the hindbrain and ovary. High levels of P450aromAmRNAexpression were detected in the ovary, pituitary, gill filament, gill arch, and spleen, but lowlevels in the forebrain, hindbrain, hypothalamus, and blood cells. In addition, the expression of P450arom genes in the orange-spotted grouper of different gonadal stages as induced by 17-methyltestosterone (MT) was investigated. The mRNA expression of P450aromB in the hypothalamus was highest in the intersexual stage, whereas the mRNA expression of P450aromA in the gonads was highest in the female stage, decreased in the intersexual stage, and lowest in the male stage. Results from current study indicate that P450aromB and P450 aromA genes of the orange-spotted grouper have distinct tissue patterns of mRNA expression, and both of them may be involved in the MT-induced sex change.

Insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II) are two highly homologous mitogenic peptides that are expressed ubiquitously and show diverse effects on development, growth, and metabolism. The cDNA encoding IGF-I of a teleost, the orange spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was produced from liver by RT-PCR, and rapid amplification of cDNA ends, RACE. Typically, the deduced 186 amino acid protein contains a signal peptide, B, C, A, D and E domains. On the amino acid level, grouper IGF-I shares 97.3% similarity with black seabream (Sparus macrocephalus) with the differences focusing on the B and C domains. The analysis of the E domain showed that grouper IGF-I belonged to Ea-4 type. When mature amino acid sequence was compared with other vertebrates, it revealed higher similarity with black seabream and halibut, while lower similarity with human and mouse. The expression of IGF-I mRNA in adult tissues was studied using RT-PCR. IGF-I mRNA expression level in the liver was significantly higher than those in the brain and muscles. In other tissues, low amount of IGF-I mRNA expression was also detected. The coding region of IGF-I cDNA for mature IGF-I protein was subcloned into an expression plasmid pTRX and fused with E. coli thioredoxin (Trx). Moreover, we have successfully developed an expression system in E. coli to overproduce recombinant grouper IGF-I. Using western blotting, we found that the fusion protein could blot with antiserum to barramundi IGF-I further confirming the immunoactivity of the recombinant IGF-I.

A full-length cDNA encoding the neuropeptide Y (NPY) was cloned from the hypothalamus of orange spotted grouper (Epinepheluscoioides) by rapid amplification of cDNA ends approaches. The NPY cDNA sequence is 688 bp long and has an open reading frame of 300 bp encoding prepro-NPY with 99 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequences contain a 28-amino-acids signal peptide followed by a 36- amino-acids mature NPY peptide. mRNA expression of NPY was determined using semi-quantitative RT-PCR followed by Southern blot analysis. NPY mRNA was expressed in olfactory bulb, telencephalon, pituitary, hypothalamus, optic tectum-thalamus, medulla oblongata, cerebellum and spinal cord. Low levels of NPY mRNA expression were found in retina, ovary and stomach, while much lower levels of expression were detected in liver, heart, gill, skin, anterior intestine, thymus and blood. No NPY mRNA expression was observed in unfertilized eggs, newly fertilized eggs, 16-cells stage and morula stage of the embryo and lower levels of expression were detected in the blastula, gastrula and neurula stages. It was highly expressed from lens formation stage to 52-day-old larval stage. NPY might be involved in the late embryonic and larval development of the orange spotted grouper.

The effects of [D-Ala6,Pro9-NEt]-LHRH (LHRH-A) alone and in combination with drugs which influence the actions of dopamine or the synthesis of catecholamines on gonadotropin (GtH) secretion and ovulation in the loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus) were investigated. LHRH-A alone stimulated an increase in serum GtH levels in the loach, but was a relatively ineffective treatment for the induction of ovulation. Injection of the dopamine receptor antagonist pimozide caused a marked potentiation of the GtH-release response to LHRH-A, and combined injections of pimozide and LHRH-A were an effective treatment for the induction of ovulation. Reserpine, a drug which causes depletion of catecholamines from presynaptic terminals, also caused a marked potentiation of the GtH-release response to LHRH-A and combined treatment induced ovulation. Similarly, administration of alpha-methyl-para-tyrosine to block conversion of tyrosine to L-dopa, or carbidopa to block conversion of L-dopa to dopamine, potentiated the GtH-release response to LHRH-A and induced ovulation. In ontrast, the use of diethyldithiocarbamate, to block conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine, failed to augment the action of LHRH-A on GtH release and ovulation. The present results provide further vidence to suggest that dopamine functions as a gonadotropin release-inhibitory factor in teleosts, and demonstrate that the use of drugs which block either the synthesis or the actions of dopamine potentiates the action of LHRH-A in teleosts.

Using radioimmuno-and ribonuclease protection assays, we examined the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and its analogs on the growth hormone mRNA level and growth hormone secretion in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) pituitary fragments with static incubation. After a 24h treatment, sGnRH (wTrp7,Leu8x-LHRH) and sGnRH-A (wDArg6, Pro9x-LHRH) (0.1nM-1mM) elevated the GH mRNA level and stimulated the GH secretion in a dose-dependent manner, with a higher potency for sGnRH-A. In a time-course experiment, the function of sGnRH and sGnRH-A (10nM) on GH secretion was observed after 6h incubation, while no action on the GH mRNA level were noted until 12h after treatment. Comparing mammalian GnRH, avian GnRH and piscine GnRH, sGnRH and sGnRH-A showed the highest potency in increasing GH mRNA level and GH-release, followed by cGnRH-II (wHis5,Tyr8x-LHRH), and finally LHRH and LHRH-A(wD-Trp6, Pro9x-LHRH). These findings, taken together, suggest that GnRH not only can influence GH release, but also play a role in the regulation of GH synthesis.