Molecular characterization of the myosatin gene and the effect of fasting on its expression in Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi)

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Myostatin (MSTN) is an important member of the transforming growth factor-b (TGF-b) superfamily and is a muscle growth inhibitor. In the present study, we cloned the Chinese perch MSTN cDNA sequence and analyzed its expression patterns under various conditions. The MSTN full cDNA sequence was 3347 bp long, including an open-reading frame of 1131 bp, which encoded 376 amino acids. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the MSTN shared a highly conserved signal peptide, a TGF-b functional peptide, a hydrolytic site (RARR), and nine conservative cysteine residues with other members of the TGF-b superfamily. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analyses indicated that the MSTN had a close relationship with teleostean fish, but they are far separated from mammals. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the MSTN was strongly expressed in the skeletal muscle and heart tissues. Temporal expression analysis demonstrated that the MSTN gene was expressed in very low levels, from 20 to 90 dph (post-hatching development), and was at its highest level at 150 dph (P < 0.05). The fasting-re-feeding experiment showed that the expression of the MSTN gene was initially decreased in response to a single meal, after seven days of fasting, and subsequently increased significantly, and finally decreased back to its original level. Together, our results provided valuable knowledge regarding the regulation of MSTN gene expression in Chinese perch.

The expressions of two myostatin paralogs in turbot Scophthalmus maximus fasted for 2 weeks and fed diets containing graded levels of fish protein hydrolysate

“…Previous studies mainly focused on the response of MSTN expression to fasting and refeeding of a single diet, and the results showed that fasting either increased or decreased the expression of MSTN, but an inverse profile would occur after refeeding (Johansen & Overturf, 2006; Kanjanaworakul et al, 2015; Xie et al, 2019; Zheng et al, 2015). It suggested that the expression of MSTN in fish muscle might be an indicator of the response to compensatory growth induced by nutritional changes (Liu et al, 2016). However, few studies existed to evaluate the effects of specific nutrients on MSTN expression in the fasting and refeeding experiments.…”

“…In model fish species such as zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) and medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) as well as commercial fish species such as channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ), olive flounder ( Paralichthys olivaceus ), red sea bream ( Pagrus major ) and common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ), gene knockout experiments in recent years had confirmed that MSTN in those fish retained the function of inhibiting muscle growth and development (Gao et al, 2016; Khalil et al, 2017; Kim et al, 2019; Ohama et al, 2020; Shahi et al, 2022; Yeh et al, 2017). Unlike mammals, however, most fish possess two or four paralogs of MSTN in their genomes, which are not specifically expressed in muscle, but widely expressed in many tissues including the brain, eye, gill, heart, spleen, liver, intestine, testis and ovary (Gabillard et al, 2013; Kanjanaworakul et al, 2015; Liu et al, 2016; Rescan et al, 2001; Xie et al, 2019). Moreover, studies had also confirmed that when two types of MSTN were mutated in zebrafish, they showed different contributions to the regulation of muscle growth (Wang et al, 2018).…”

“…fish possess two or four paralogs of MSTN in their genomes, which are not specifically expressed in muscle, but widely expressed in many tissues including the brain, eye, gill, heart, spleen, liver, intestine, testis and ovary (Gabillard et al, 2013;Kanjanaworakul et al, 2015;Liu et al, 2016;Rescan et al, 2001;Xie et al, 2019).…”

Genetic Diversity Identification and Haplotype Distribution of Myostatin Gene in Goats

“…MSTN is a member of the TGF-β family and has a highly conserved signal peptide, a TGF-β functional peptide, a hydrolysis site (RARR) and nine strictly conserved cysteins (Liu et al 2016;Huang et al 2016;Hu et al 1998). The core region of TGF-β family members is highly conserved.…”