1. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is involved in the control of prolactin (PRL) release and plays a pivotal role as a regulator of reproductive behaviour and neuroendocrine secretion in birds. 2. In this study, a 941-bp cDNA fragment covering the complete coding region (CDS) of goose VIP gene was identified. The cDNA contains a 32-bp 5'-untranslated region (UTR), a 603-bp CDS and a 306-bp 3'-UTR containing two ATTTA sequence elements, two polyadenylation signals (AATAAA) and a 25-bp poly (A) tail. 3. Seven exons and 6 introns were identified, and both the cDNA and genomic DNA sequences showed high identity with those of other species. 4. The sequence analysis indicated that there were two alternatively spliced transcripts the long transcript (VIP-1) encoded both VIP and peptide histidine isoleucine exons and the short one (VIP-2) only encoded VIP. 5. RT-PCR analysis indicates that the expression level of the VIP-1 is much lower than that of VIP-2, and that VIP-1 is negligible or absent in muscle, abdominal fat, ovary and spleen, whereas VIP-2 is widely distributed in all the examined tissues. 6. A total of 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 2 SNPs located in the coding region and 10 variations in intron regions, were identified in goose VIP gene.
1. The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8), a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene family, participates in the supplying of lipid during follicular development. The objective of the study was to identify and characterise the LRP8 gene in goose. 2. A 2867 bp fragment that covered the complete coding region (CDS) of goose (Anser cygnoides) LRP8 gene was cloned. It encoded a protein of 917 amino acid residues containing a 24-amino acid signal peptide and 5 functional domains. The goose LRP8 showed high nucleic acid and amino acid identities with those in other species. 3. Similarly to duck LRP8 gene, two splice variants of LRP8, LRP8-1 (containing 8 ligand-binding repeats) and LRP8-2 (containing 7 ligand-binding repeats), were identified in goose. 4. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicates that the LRP8-1 transcript is expressed in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, breast muscle, duodenum, hypothalamus, pituitary and ovary, negligible or absent in sebum and oviduct, and the LRP8-2 transcript is widely expressed in all examined tissues. 5. A total of 7 SNPs were identified in the coding region of the goose LRP8 gene.
Agouti signalling protein (ASIP) is an endogenous antagonist of melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) and is involved in the regulation of pigmentation in mammals. The objective of this study was to identify and characterise the ASIP gene in domestic goose. The goose ASIP cDNA consisted of a 44-nucleotide 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR), a 390-nucleotide open-reading frame (ORF) and a 45-nucleotide 3'-UTR. The length of goose ASIP genomic DNA was 6176 bp, including three coding exons and two introns. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that the ORF encodes a protein of 130 amino-acid residues with a molecular weight of 14.88 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.73. Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis showed that the amino-acid sequence of ASIP was conserved in vertebrates, especially in the avian species. RT-qPCR showed that the goose ASIP mRNA was differentially expressed in the pigment deposition tissues, including eye, foot, feather follicle, skin of the back, as well as in skin of the abdomen. The expression level of the ASIP gene in skin of the abdomen was higher than that in skin of the back. Those findings will contribute to further understanding the functions of the ASIP gene in geese plumage colouring.
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