title: Cloning of the bovine beta-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase and expression in gonadal tissues.
abstract: Beta-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase (betaCO), found mainly in intestinal mucosa and liver, is the enzyme responsible for cleaving beta-carotene into retinal, which can be used or stored at these sites or carried by the bloodstream to different target cells within the body. We isolated the cDNA for bovine betaCO and demonstrated its expression in gonadal tissues. A cDNA of 2130 base pairs (bp) was obtained by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), using degenerate oligonucleotides; the deduced protein shared an identity of 75% with its homologues from other mammalian species. In order to evaluate the expression of this enzyme, we performed RT-PCR and in situ hybridizations in the ovary and testis of bovines. RT-PCR showed the expression of betaCO in testis, ovary, and cultured granulosa cells. In situ hybridization of complete ovary and testis revealed expression in granulosa cells and the corpus luteum in the ovary and in germinal and interstitial cells in the testis. These results suggest that beta-carotene could act as a local source of retinoids, which have been shown to be important during proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of both female and male germinal cells.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Estudios Superiores-Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd. B. Quintana 514-D, Arboledas, Querétaro, Qro. México, CP 76140.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosas
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Anaid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antaramian
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varela-Echavarria
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Ofelia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mora
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010053:Ovary / Q000201:enzymology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013737:Testis / Q000201:enzymology*; D050559:beta-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D050559:beta-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase