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Temporal expression profiles of leptin and its receptor genes during early development and ovarian maturation of Cynoglossus semilaevis

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Abstract

Leptin (Lep) plays a key role in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis in vertebrates. Our previous studies have provided evidence for the existence of two leptin genes (lepa and lepb) and one leptin receptor (lepr) gene in a flatfish, the half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). However, the spatial-temporal expression patterns and possible roles of the leptin system during early development and ovarian maturation are still poorly understood in teleosts. In the current study, we evaluated dynamic expression profiles of lepa, lepb, and lepr mRNAs during various developmental stages in this species. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that both ligand (lepa and lepb) and receptor (lepr) genes were detected in unfertilized eggs and during embryogenesis but with different expression profiles. In addition, lepa, lepb, and lepr transcripts levels increased significantly during larval development, reaching the peak at 10, 25, and 30 days post-hatching (dph), respectively. On the other hand, changes in mRNA expression of these three genes at the brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis were also investigated during ovarian maturation, and lepa, lepb, and lepr mRNAs varied greatly. Taken together, our results encompass the first study reporting the dynamic expression patterns of leptin and its receptor mRNAs in the order Pleuronectiformes, providing evidence that the leptin system could be functional and play important roles during early development and ovarian maturation in tongue sole.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants financially by the Marine S&T Fund of Shandong Province for Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao) (2018SDKJ0303-1, 2018SDKJ0501-2), Key R&D Program of Shandong Province (2018GHY115044), Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund, CAFS (2019GH15, 2019CY0204), Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation & Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China (FREU2017-03), and China Agriculture Research System (CARS-47).

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  1. Bin Wang and Aijun Cui contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Sustainable Development of Marine Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Bin Wang, Aijun Cui, Yaxing Zhang, Xuezhou Liu, Yan Jiang & Yongjiang Xu

  2. Laboratory for Marine Fisheries and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266071, China

    Bin Wang, Aijun Cui, Yaxing Zhang, Xuezhou Liu, Yan Jiang & Yongjiang Xu

  3. Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Bin Wang, Aijun Cui, Yaxing Zhang, Xuezhou Liu, Yan Jiang & Yongjiang Xu

  4. College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China

    Aijun Cui & Yaxing Zhang

  5. South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510300, China

    Pengfei Wang

  6. Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation & Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou, 510300, China

    Pengfei Wang

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  1. Bin Wang
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Wang, B., Cui, A., Wang, P. et al. Temporal expression profiles of leptin and its receptor genes during early development and ovarian maturation of Cynoglossus semilaevis. Fish Physiol Biochem 46, 359–370 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-019-00722-6

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