title: Cytochrome P450 aromatase in grey mullet: cDNA and promoter isolation; brain, pituitary and ovarian expression during puberty.
abstract: In a study towards elucidating the role of aromatases during puberty in female grey mullet, the cDNAs of the brain (muCyp19b) and ovarian (muCyp19a) aromatase were isolated by RT-PCR and their relative expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The muCyp19a ORF of 1515bp encoded 505 predicted amino acid residues, while that of muCyp19b was 1485 bp and encoded 495 predicted amino acid residues. The expression level of muCyp19b significantly increased in the brain as puberty advanced; however, its expression level in the pituitary increased only slightly with pubertal development. In the ovary, the muCyp19a expression level markedly increased as puberty progressed. The promoter regions of the two genes were also isolated and their functionality evaluated in vitro using luciferase as the reporter gene. The muCyp19a promoter sequence (650 bp) contained a consensus TATA box and putative transcription factor binding sites, including two half EREs, an SF-1, an AhR/Arnt, a PR and two GATA-3 s. The muCyp19b promoter sequence (2500 bp) showed consensus TATA and CCAAT boxes and putative transcription binding sites, namely: a PR, an ERE, a half ERE, a SP-1, two GATA-binding factor, one half GATA-1, two C/EBPs, a GRE, a NFkappaB, three STATs, a PPAR/RXR, an Ahr/Arnt and a CRE. Basal activity of serially deleted promoter constructs transiently transfected into COS-7, alphaT3 and TE671 cells demonstrated the enhancing and silencing roles of the putative transcription factor binding sites. Quinpirole, a dopamine agonist, significantly reduced the promoter activity of muCyp19b in TE671. The results suggest tissue-specific regulation of the muCyp19 genes and a putative alternative promoter for muCyp19b.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Bribie Island Aquaculture Research Centre, 144 North Street, Woorim, Qld 4507, Australia.
authors.forename: Josephine N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Nocillado
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elizur
authors.forename: Ayelet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avitan
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carrick
authors.forename: Berta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levavi-Sivan
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001141:Aromatase / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010053:Ovary / Q000201:enzymology*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000201:enzymology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D023701:Smegmamorpha; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D001141:Aromatase