title: Differential activation of kiss receptors by Kiss1 and Kiss2 peptides in the sea bass.
abstract: Two forms of kiss gene (kiss1 and kiss2) have been described in the teleost sea bass. This study assesses the cloning and characterization of two Kiss receptor genes, namely kissr2 and kissr3 (known as gpr54-1b and gpr54-2b, respectively), and their signal transduction pathways in response to Kiss1 and Kiss2 peptides. Phylogenetic and synteny analyses indicate that these paralogs originated by duplication of an ancestral gene before teleost specific duplication. The kissr2 and kissr3 mRNAs encode proteins of 368 and 378 amino acids, respectively, and share 53.1% similarity in amino acid sequences. In silico analysis of the putative promoter regions of the sea bass Kiss receptor genes revealed conserved flanking regulatory sequences among teleosts. Both kissr2 and kissr3 are predominantly expressed in brain and gonads of sea bass, medaka and zebrafish. In the testis, the expression levels of sea bass kisspeptins and Kiss receptors point to a significant variation during the reproductive cycle. In vitro functional analyses revealed that sea bass Kiss receptor signals are transduced both via the protein kinase C and protein kinase A pathway. Synthetic sea bass Kiss1-15 and Kiss2-12 peptides activated Kiss receptors with different potencies, indicating a differential ligand selectivity. Our data suggest that Kissr2 and Kissr3 have a preference for Kiss1 and Kiss2 peptides, respectively, thus providing the basis for future studies aimed at establishing their physiologic roles in sea bass.
authors.affiliation: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (IATS), Ribera de Cabanes s/n Torre la Sal, 12595 Castellón, Spain afelip@iats.csic.es.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Felip
authors.affiliation: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (IATS), Ribera de Cabanes s/n Torre la Sal, 12595 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Espigares
authors.affiliation: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (IATS), Ribera de Cabanes s/n Torre la Sal, 12595 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanuy
authors.affiliation: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal (IATS), Ribera de Cabanes s/n Torre la Sal, 12595 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016466:CHO Cells; D003412:Cricetulus; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D059648:Kisspeptins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000819:agonists / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012098:Reproduction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D029941:Fish Proteins; D059648:Kisspeptins; D008024:Ligands; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C