title: Characterization of the Dmrt1 gene in the black rockfish Sebastes schlegeli revealed a remarkable sex-dimorphic expression.
abstract: The Dmrt genes encode a large family of transcription factors with a conserved zinc finger-like DNA-binding DM domain. The function of Dmrt1, one of the family members, in sexual development has been well studied in invertebrates and vertebrates. In the present study, the full-length cDNA of Dmrt1 was isolated from the testis of Sebastes schlegeli. The full-length cDNA of S. schlegeli Dmrt1 (SsDmrt1) was 1,587 bp and contained a 189-bp 5' UTR, a 489-bp 3' UTR and a 909-bp open reading frame, which encoded 302 amino acids with a conserved DM domain and an male-specific motif domain. Phylogenetic analysis showed the evolutionary relationships of SsDmrt1 with other known Dmrt genes in fish and tetrapods. Several transcriptional factor-binding sites in the 5' promoter were identified that might regulate SsDmrt1 expression. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that SsDmrt1 was expressed in all of the inspected larval developmental stages from 1 to 35 days after birth and that the level of expression gradually decreased. The expression of SsDmrt1 in adult gonads was sexually dimorphic with extremely high expression in the testis, but very low expression in the ovary. No expression was detected in other tissues. Using in situ hybridization, we demonstrated that SsDmrt1 was specifically expressed in the germ cells of both the testis and the ovary. Thus, our results suggest that SsDmrt1 may have an important role in the differentiation of both the testis and the ovary of S. schlegeli.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liman
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Wenji
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jiajun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Huayu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Haibin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Quanqi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D040461:Gene Components; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010473:Perciformes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C110547:DMRT1 protein; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D014157:Transcription Factors