title: Expression and ontogeny of growth hormone (Gh) in the protogynous hermaphroditic ricefield eel (Monopterus albus).
abstract: Growth hormone (GH) is a single-chain polypeptide hormone mainly secreted by somatotropes of the anterior pituitary gland and is an important regulator of somatic growth in vertebrates including teleosts. In this study, a polyclonal antiserum against ricefield eel Gh was generated and the expression of Gh at the mRNA and protein levels was analyzed. Both RT-PCR and western blot analysis showed that Gh was predominantly expressed in the pituitary glands of ricefield eels. The immunoreactive Gh signals were localized to the multicellular layers of the adenohypophysis adjacent to the neurohypophysis in ricefield eels. Ontogenetic analysis showed that immunoreactive Gh signals could be detected in the pituitary glands of ricefield eel embryos as early as 3 days post-fertilization. During the sex change from female to male, the levels of the immunoreactive Gh signals in the pituitary glands of the ricefield eels peaked at the intersexual stage. These results suggest that Gh in the pituitary glands may be associated with embryonic development before hatching, as well as with the sex change in the adult ricefield eels, possibly via the classical endocrine manner.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wanping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shuxia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. lsszwm@mail.sysu.edu.cn.|Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. lsszwm@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. zhlih@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development / Q000196:embryology; D004524:Eels / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development*; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000196:embryology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D019849:Sex Determination Processes
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013006:Growth Hormone
keywords: Growth hormone; Ontogeny; Pituitary; Ricefield eel (Monopterus albus); Sex change