雌雄半滑舌鳎脑垂体基因表达差异研究

为研究半滑舌鳎雌雄个体大小和生长速度差异悬殊的分子机理,采集来自同一亲本、同一发育阶段的半滑舌鳎雄鱼和雌鱼脑垂体,分别与Affymetrix的斑马鱼基因芯片杂交,筛选差异表达基因。芯片杂交结果显示二者共有1 051个基因检测到明显的杂交信号,其中上调基因486个,下调基因561个。进一步比较雄鱼和雌鱼杂交信号的比值(Ratio值),有39个基因的Ratio值小于0.6或大于1.5,其中sh3gl1b、meis2.1、acta1、Noxa、slc25a5这5种上调基因和col1a2、klf7、acta2这3种下调基因可能与半滑舌鳎雌雄生长差异相关。这一结果为深入研究半滑舌鳎雌雄性别分化与生长调控机制提供了新思路。

Differential gene expression profiles between the pituitaries of female and male half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis)

The half-smooth tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis) is an important marine flatfish with significant potential for aquaculture in China.This species exhibits a typical sexual dimorphism in which males grow sig-nificantly slower and smaller than females.Thus,there is little economic benefit to culturing males.To improve our understanding of this sex-associated dimorphic growth phenomenon,we screened differentially expressed genes from the pituitary tissues of female and male half-smooth tongue sole using the Affymetrix zebraf-ish microarray.A total of 486 genes were up-regulated and 561 genes were down-regulated.Based on standards for the relative strength of the difference(i.e.,a ratio of the male to female hybridization signals of >1.5 or <0.6),we identifed 39 differentially expressed genes,including meis2.1,col1a2,sh3gl1b,acta1,slc25a5,lf7,and acta2.Our results provide a foundation for investigating the molecular mechanisms controlling differential growth among the sexes.