Estrogen receptor-related receptors in mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi): Molecular cloning, characterization, and estrogen responsiveness

Abstract

The estrogen-related receptors (ERRs), a group of nuclear receptors, are the first orphan receptor to be identified. In this study, six errs (errα, errβ, errγ, errγA, errγB, errδ) were first cloned from the gonads of mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi). Gene cloning results showed the open reading frames (ORF) of both errα, errβ, errγ, errγA, errγB, errδ were 1302 bp, 1434 bp, 1323 bp, 1566 bp and 1308 bp, coding a 432, 476, 439, 520, 434 and 337 amino acid (AA) peptide, respectively. Tissue distribution analysis showed that errα was relatively highly expressed in heart and muscle both in male and female and errγA was highly expressed in brain, stomach and muscle while the errγB was extremely highly expressed in heart and liver both in male and female. The errβ expressed relatively highly in medulla oblongata and gonad of male and female and kidney of male, while errγ expressed relatively highly in stomach of male and female. Gonad expression pattern revealed that errα, errγ, errγA and errγB were all detected from 5 to 180 day after hatching (dah) in both males and females, and errδ began to express after 60 dah. Moreover, errγ, errγA and errγB were highly expressed in 5–10 dah while errα and errδ were mainly expressed in 60–180 dah. Furthermore, luciferase assay showed that errγ could response to estrogen stimulation by modulating estrogen-signaling pathway in mandarin fish.

Keywords

• Estrogen-related receptors
• Estrogen receptor
• Estrogen response elements
• Gene expression
• Mandarin fish