title: Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis: molecular characterization, tissue distribution and mRNA expression changes during the female reproductive cycle.
abstract: The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a central role in vertebrate reproduction, with the actions of FSH mediated by FSH receptors (FSHRs) on the granulosa cells of the ovary. The present study reports the cloning and characterization of FSHR in Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis (caFSHR), and its tissue distribution and mRNA expression changes during the reproductive cycle. The mature protein of caFSHR displays typical features of the glycoprotein hormone receptor family, but also contains some remarkable differences when compared with other vertebrate FSHRs. The deduced amino acid sequence of the caFSHR shares identity of 85% with Chinese softshell turtle, 84-87% with birds, 77-78% with mammals, 67-73% with amphibians and 51-58% with fishes. Phylogenetic tree analysis of the FSHR amino acid sequence indicated that alligators cluster into the bird branch. Tissue expression analysis showed that caFSHR was not only expressed in the ovary, but also in the stomach, intestine, pancreas liver and oviduct at similar levels, while it was not detectable in heart, thymus or thyroid. Expression of caFSHR in the ovary is high in May (breeding prophase) and peaks in July during the breeding period, where it is maintained at high levels through September (breeding anaphase). Expression decreases significantly in November (hibernating period) and then remains relatively low from January to March (hibernating period). These temporal changes in FSHR expression suggest that it plays an important role in promoting ovarian development during the female reproductive cycle of Chinese alligator.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China. Electronic address: szzhang@mail.ahnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shengzhou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Alligator Research Center of Anhui Province, Xuanzhou 242000, China.
authors.forename: Yongkang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, China. Electronic address: wuxb@mail.ahnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaobing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000502:physiology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011962:Receptors, FSH / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011962:Receptors, FSH
keywords: Chinese alligator; FSHR; Gene expression; Homology analysis; cDNA cloning