title: Molecular characterization of sequence and expression of chicken GPR39.
abstract: GPR39 has been recently proposed to be a specific receptor for a novel anorexic peptide, obestatin, isolated from rat stomach. Obestatin is generated from the proprotein for ghrelin by proteolytic cleavage and shows opposing action to ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and gastrointestinal movement. In this study, we performed cDNA cloning for chicken GPR39 and characterized expression profiles of its mRNA in chicken tissues. Chicken GPR39 cDNA encoding 462 amino acids was cloned from chick duodenum. The amino acid sequence showed high homology to human (62.6%), mouse (62.6%), and rat (65.3%) GPR39. A computer-assisted search for chicken GPR39 cDNA sequence in the chicken genome database revealed that chicken GPR39 gene consists of two exons separated by an intron. Real-time PCR analysis revealed the expression of GPR39 mRNA in a wide range of tissues with the highest level in the duodenum in chicks and hens. The expression level in the duodenum rapidly increased during the early post-hatch period. Interestingly, relatively higher expression was observed in the oviduct, vagina and uterus in hen. These findings suggest that GPR39 is involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal and reproductive functions in chicken.
authors.affiliation: High-Tech Research Center, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Numao
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: Nobumichi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsushima
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004386:Duodenum / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled