title: Genomic structure,  polymorphism and expression analysis of growth hormone-releasing hormone and  pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide genes in the half-smooth  tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis).
abstract: Growth  hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating  polypeptide (PACAP) regulate development and somatic growth in teleosts; they  may be associated with sexual growth dimorphism in the half-smooth tongue sole  (Cynoglossus semilaevis). We found that the full-length GHRH and PACAP  gene sequences obtained from females and males consist of 4160, 4159, 2425, and  2446 bp, respectively, each of which includes four exons and three introns.  When we analyzed normal females and males and extra-large male adults, GHRH and  PACAP mRNA were found to be predominantly expressed in the brain; the  expression levels were highest in normal males. The extra-large males exhibited  the lowest mRNA levels of both GHRH and PACAP. Sex differences in GHRH and  PACAP mRNA expression during development were also examined in a full-sib  family; GHRH and PACAP mRNA were detected at all 27 times sampled from 10 to  410 days old. The GHRH expression levels in females were significantly higher  than in males at most of the stages between 20 and 100 days old, while lower  than those of males after 120 days old. Five microsatellite loci were  identified in GHRH and PACAP genes. We used these five polymorphic markers to  genotype 224 individuals, and no significant differences were found between  females and males from the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and hatchery samples.
authors.affiliation: College of Oceanography and Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Zhuang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Z Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Y Q
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Q S
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics; D004171:Diploidy; D005260:Female; D005412:Flatfishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone