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Characterization of a vasa homolog in the brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) and its expression in gonad and germ cells during larval development

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Abstract

The vasa gene is specifically expressed in the germ cell lineage, and its expression has been used to study germline development in many organisms, including fishes. In this study, we cloned and characterized vasa as Efu-vasa in the brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus). Efu-vasa contained predicted regions that shared consensus motifs with the vasa family in teleosts, including arginine- and glycine-rich repeats, ATPase motifs, and a DEAD box. Phylogenetic-tree construction using various DEAD-box proteins confirmed that Efu-vasa was clustered in the vasa family. Efu-vasa mRNA was detectable only in gonads, by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) during early gonad development in larvae were characterized by histological examination and in situ hybridization using an Efu-vasa antisense probe. Migrating PGCs were found in larvae at 9–21 days post-hatching, and rapid proliferation of PGCs was initiated in 36 days post-hatching. These findings provide a valuable basis for optimizing the developmental stages for germ cell transplantation in order to produce surrogate broodstock, which may help in the production of larvae of large and endangered grouper species.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from Suranaree University of Technology, the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand, Office of the Higher Education Commission, and the project “Development of Aquaculture Technology for Food Security and Food Safety in the Next Generation” under the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) joint program of Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS). We acknowledge Mrs. Amphai Longloy and Mr. Nipon Seanin for their assistance in collecting the specimens.

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  1. School of Animal Production Technology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Muang, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand

    Surintorn Boonanuntanasarn & Kirana Yoohat

  2. Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Center, 141 Moo 6, Saithai, Muang, Krabi, 81000, Thailand

    Paiboon Bunlipatanon, Ornkanya Mengyu & Samart Detsathit

  3. Department of Marine Biosciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 108-8477, Japan

    Kensuke Ichida, Ryosuke Yazawa & Goro Yoshizaki

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  1. Surintorn Boonanuntanasarn
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Correspondence to Surintorn Boonanuntanasarn.

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Boonanuntanasarn, S., Bunlipatanon, P., Ichida, K. et al. Characterization of a vasa homolog in the brown-marbled grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) and its expression in gonad and germ cells during larval development. Fish Physiol Biochem 42, 1621–1636 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-016-0245-z

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