Molecular cloning, characterisation and expression analysis of the vitellogenin genes vtgAo1 and vtgC during ovarian development in Chinese hook snout carp Opsariichthys bidens
Huayu Jiang A * , Daojun Tang A * , Xinming Gao A * , Chenwen Lin A , Binbin Feng A , Chen Du A , Shan Jin A and Junquan Zhu![https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5908-3777](/media/client/orcid_16x16.png)
A Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biotechnology by the Ministry of Education, School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China.
B Corresponding author. Email: zhujunquan@nbu.edu.cn
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 33(7) 455-465 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD20294
Submitted: 9 November 2020 Accepted: 17 February 2021 Published: 16 April 2021
Abstract
Vitellogenesis is essential for oocyte maturation. Vitellogenin (Vtg), a yolk precursor protein, plays an important role in oogenesis and vitellogenesis. Chinese hook snout carp Opsariichthys bidens is an economically important freshwater fish in China whose reproductive and developmental biology are not well understood. In this study, we undertook histological analysis to examine ovary development and oogenesis in O. bidens. The ovaries were divided into Stages II–V and oocytes were divided into perinuclear oocytes, cortical alveoli oocytes, vitellogenic oocytes and mature oocytes. Full-length cDNA sequences were cloned of two vtg genes from the liver of O. bidens, namely Ob-vtgAo1 and Ob-vtgC. Ob-vtgAo1 and Ob-vtgC cDNA are made up of 4136 and 4392 bases respectively and encode proteins containing 1335 and 1250 amino acids respectively. Ob-vtgAo1 contains three yolk protein domains: lipovitellin heavy chain (LvH), phosvitin (Pv) and lipovitellin light chain (LvL), whereas Ob-VtgC contains LvH and LvL, which are incomplete Vtgs. Ob-vtgAo1 and Ob-vtgC mRNA expression was significantly higher in the liver of O. bidens than in all other tissues. In oocytes of Stage II–III ovaries, yolk granules are almost absent and ovarian and hepatic Ob-vtgAo1 and Ob-vtgC expression is low. At Stage IV, the oocyte is filled with yolk granules and ovarian and hepatic Ob-vtgAo1 and Ob-vtgC expression is significantly increased. Collectively, these findings help us better understand vitellogenesis in O. bidens.
![Graphical Abstract Image](/temp/RD20294_toc.jpg)
Keywords: Chinese hook snout carp, molecular cloning, oogenesis, Opsariichthys bidens, vitellogenesis, vitellogenin, Vtg.
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