Cloning of Buffalo AQP9 Gene and Analysing its Expression in the Buffalo Tissues

Cloning buffalo AQP9 gene and analyzing its expression in buffalo tissues.A pair of primers was designed according to the released bovine AQP9 sequences in GenBank,which was used to clone buffalo AQP9 gene.The AQP9 gene was amplified by RT-PCR,whose nucleotide sequence and protein structure were analyzed by bioinformatics methods.The expression of AQP9 in buffalo tissues was assayed by Real-time quantitative PCR.The expression of AQP9 gene in buffalo ovary and testis tissue was detected by immunohistochemical staining method.The results showed that the cloned ORF length of buffalo AQP9 gene was 888 bp,which coded 295 amino acids.The results of multiple sequence comparison showed that the nucleotide sequence of buffalo AQP9 shared 99%,90%,97% and 88% homologeous compared with that of Bos taurus,Sus scrofa,Ovis ariessis and Homo sapiens,respectively,while shared 99%,86%,97%,83% homologeous for amino acids,respectively.Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that AQP9 gene was highly conservative in the evolutionary process.Real-time quantitative PCR results showed that AQP9 gene expressed in buffalo liver,lung,brain,skin,testis and ovary tissues with different levels,had the most abundant expression in liver,followed by in skin and testis,less observed in lung and ovary.The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of AQP9 protein varied with the development of buffalo ovarian tissue,and gradually enhanced with follicle development.In testicular tissue,AQP9 protein expressed in spermatocyte and leydig cells of developmental stage testis.These results indicated that we had successfully cloned buffalo AQP9 gene sequences.The expression and its function of AQP9 in buffalo ovaries and testes might play an important role in follicle development and spermatogenesis.