Two messenger RNA isoforms of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone receptor, generated by alternative splicing and/or promoter usage, are differentially expressed in rainbow trout gonads during gametogenesis.
The recent cloning of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R) cDNA from rainbow trout showed that it contains several in-frame ATG codons, one of which, ATG2, corresponds to that found in other species. However, an upstream codon, ATG1, could give rise to a protein with a larger extracellular domain. Using S1 nuclease assay and a method combining primer extension and RACE-PCR, we characterized a second population of mRNA, termed mRNA-2, with a distinct 5'untranslated region and lacking ATG1. The genomic origin of the two mRNAs was determined by establishing the complete gene structure, which shows, for the first time in a vertebrate species that an alternative splicing and promoter usage generate two GnRH-R mRNA variants whose 5' extremities are encoded by two different exons. The analysis of the tissue distribution indicated that mRNA-2 presents a broader pattern of expression and is detected at higher levels than mRNA-1. Interestingly, it was found that those two mRNAs are differentially expressed in male and female gonads during gametogenesis. In particular, the variations of mRNA-1 levels parallel those of sGnRH expression during spermatogenesis, indicating that tissue-specific processing of the GnRH-R mRNA may underlie the effects of GnRH as a paracrine/autocrine regulator of gonadal functions.
Madigou
Thierry
T
Endocrinologie Moléculaire de la Reproduction, UMR CNRS, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, France.
Uzbekova
Svetlana
S
Lareyre
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Kah
Olivier
O
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005718:Gametogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006066:Gonads / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011966:Receptors, LHRH / Q000235:genetics*
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011966:Receptors, LHRH