title: Characterization and developmental expression pattern of the relaxin receptor rxfp1 gene in zebrafish.
abstract: We report the gene characterization, the cDNA cloning and the temporal and spatial expression pattern of the relaxin receptor rxfp1 gene in the zebrafish Danio rerio. The zebrafish rxfp1 gene has the same syntenic genomic organization, and a similar exon-intron structure to the homologue human gene. Furthermore, the deduced Rxfp1 protein sequence shows a high degree of amino acid similarity when compared with the human protein and the conservation of all amino acid identity necessary for the binding with relaxin. Our results show that rxfp1 gene is active either during embryogenesis or in the adult organism, showing a wide expression pattern. Moreover, we provide the first description of rxfp1 spatial expression pattern during embryo development, showing that the transcript is already present at the early developmental stage and is distributed in all of the embryonic cells until somitogenesis. Starting at the pharyngula stage the gene expression becomes mainly restricted in the brain territories. In fact, at the larval stage, the transcript is detectable in the epiphysis, postoptic region, posterior tuberculum, hypothalamus, optic tectum, tegmentum/pons, medulla and also in the structure of a peripheral nervous system, the terminal nerve. The rxfp1 expression pattern in Danio rerio embryos is very similar to that reported in the adult mammalian brain, suggesting a pivotal role of this receptor in the neurophysiology processes already at very early developmental stages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Mezzocannone 8, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Donizetti
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiengo
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: del Gaudio
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Giaimo
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minucci
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aniello
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics*; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; C558790:Rxfp1 protein, zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C033395:relaxin receptors