Scp3 expression in relation to the ovarian differentiation in the protogynous hermaphroditic ricefield eel Monopterus albus.
Synaptonemal complex protein 3 (Scp3), which is encoded by scp3, is a meiotic marker commonly used to trace the timing of gonadal differentiation in vertebrates. In the present study, the ricefield eel scp3 cDNA was cloned, and a fragment encoding amino acids 49 to 244 was overexpressed. The recombinant Scp3 polypeptide was purified and used to generate a rabbit anti-Scp3 polyclonal antiserum. In adult ricefield eels, scp3 mRNA was predominantly detected in the gonads and faintly detected in discrete brain areas. In the gonads, Scp3 immunoreactivities were shown to be localized to the germ cells, including meiotic primary growth oocytes, spermatocytes, and pre-meiotic spermatogonia. During early ovarian differentiation, immunoreactive Scp3 was not detected in the gonads of ricefield eels at 6 days post-hatching (dph) but was found to be abundantly localized in the cytoplasm of some oogonia at 7 dph, coinciding with the appearance of the ovarian cavity and ovarian differentiation. At 14 dph, strong Scp3 immunostaining was detected on one side of the nucleus with a distinct polarity in some germ cells, presumably at the leptotene stage. Consistent with these results, the expression of scp3 mRNA was faintly detected in the gonads of ricefield eels at 6 dph, increased at 8 dph, and then remained relatively high thereafter. Taken together, these results suggest that the appearance of immunoreactive Scp3 in oogonia could be a marker for early ovarian differentiation in ricefield eels. The translocation of the Scp3 protein from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in the oogonium of ricefield eels appears to be a controlled process that warrants further study.
Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.|Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
Yixue
Y
Li
Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.|College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, People's Republic of China.
Zhi
Z
He
Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
Shuxia
S
Shi
Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.|Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
Yize
Y
Zhang
Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.|Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China.
Dong
D
Chen
Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. lsszwm@mail.sysu.edu.cn.|Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. lsszwm@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Weimin
W
Zhang
Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China. zhlih@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Lihong
L
Zhang
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development / Q000235:genetics; D004524:Eels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D009867:Oogonia / Q000378:metabolism; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D019849:Sex Determination Processes / Q000235:genetics; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029941:Fish Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger
Immunohistochemistry; Meiosis; Ovarian differentiation; Ricefield eel (Monopterus albus); Scp3