title: Molecular characterization and functional analysis of the GATA4 in tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis).
abstract: The GATA family of transcription factors is characterized by two zinc finger domains and is involved in different cellular processes. GATA4 is a highly conserved transcription factor that regulates embryonic morphogenesis and cellular differentiation. GATA4 in vertebrates regulates its target genes to influence genital ridge differentiation. In this study, the GATA4 from tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) was characterized to understand the function of this transcription factor in sex differentiation. The full-length cDNA of C. semilaevis GATA4 comprised 2031bp, encoding a predicted polypeptide consisting of 402 amino acids with two conserved zinc finger domains. Phylogenetic, gene structure, and synteny analyses showed that C. semilaevis GATA4 was homologous to tetrapod GATA4. The mRNA transcript of C. semilaevis GATA4 exhibited high expression in the heart, liver, and gonad. GATA4 expression is dimorphic in the male and female gonads. Embryonic development expression profiles revealed the possible involvement of C. semilaevis GATA4 in morphogenesis. In situ hybridization results showed strong GATA4 signals in the spermatogonia and spermatocytes of the testis and in the oogonia, primary oocytes, and secondary oocytes of the ovary. The expression of C. semilaevis GATA4 in the male, pseudomale, and female gonads showed significantly different methylation levels of the two CpG sites (-2738 and -2647) among the three genders. Basing on these results, we speculated that GATA4 plays a potential role in sex differentiation. This study lays the groundwork for further sex control breeding techniques in C. semilaevis.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jinxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jiajun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Chunli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xubo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Quanqi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong, China. Electronic address: yanhe@ouc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005412:Flatfishes / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D026801:Synteny; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029941:Fish Proteins; D050991:GATA4 Transcription Factor
keywords: Cynoglossus semilaevis; GATA4; Gonad differentiation; Methylation; Oogenesis; Spermatogenesis