Sex- and tissue-specific expression of P450 aromatase ( cyp19a1a) in the yellowtail clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii

• Published in: Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology Vol. 155; no. 2; pp. 237 - 244
• Main Authors: Kobayashi, Yasuhisa, Horiguchi, Ryo, Miura, Saori, Nakamura, Masaru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2010
• Subjects: Amphiprion clarkii; Animals; Aromatase; Aromatase - classification; Aromatase - genetics; Aromatase - metabolism; Blotting, Western; Cloning, Molecular; Clownfish; cyp19a1a; DNA, Complementary - chemistry; DNA, Complementary - genetics; Estradiol - blood; Female; Fish Proteins - genetics; Fish Proteins - metabolism; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Gonads - enzymology; Gonads - metabolism; Immunohistochemistry; In Situ Hybridization; Male; Marine; Molecular Sequence Data; Ovarian Follicle - enzymology; Ovarian Follicle - metabolism; Perciformes - genetics; Phylogeny; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sex change; Sex Factors; Teleost; Sex change; Teleost; Aromatase; E2; cyp19a1a; ELISA; Clownfish
• ISSN: 1095-6433; 1531-4332
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.11.004

To investigate the role of estrogen in the gonad of yellowtail clownfish Amphiprion clarkii, we isolated cDNA encoding cytochrome P450 aromatase (Cyp19a1a) from the adult ovary. The full-length cDNA of clownfish cyp19a1a is 1928-bp long and encodes 520 amino acids. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that cyp19a1a was expressed mainly in the ovary of female-phase fish. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemical observations showed that positive signals were restricted to the ovarian follicle of the female-phase fish. In contrast, Cyp19a1a signal was not detected in the ambisexual gonad of the male-phase fish. These findings suggest that Cyp19a1a is involved in oogenesis in the female-phase fish, but not in the ambisexual gonad of male-phase fish.