Molecular profiling of growth hormone in the juvenile hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ Epinephelus polyphekadion ♂)

Abstract

Many factors contribute to the underdevelopment of oceanic aquaculture. The most significant factor of the development of hybrid grouper culture is the supply of satisfactory quantities of fast growing juveniles to stock grow-out systems at a minimized cost. In order to evaluate the growth hormone status of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀× Epinephelus polyphekadion ♂), cDNA encoding growth hormone from the liver of juvenile fish was cloned and characterized. qPCR method was used to determine the expression of the growth hormone in the tissues. Relative expression of growth hormone in the brain was found to be highest (290.91 folds) and lowest in the stomach (1.35 folds). Bioinformatics tools were used to analyze the growth hormone proteins and prediction of its physicochemical properties, and amino acid compositions, as well as Gene Ontology, GO term predictions. The cloned hybrid grouper growth hormone gene sequence was found to be clustered monophyletically with solid bootstrap backing. It was found to be close to the Cromileptes altivelis growth hormone gene sequence and is positioned in the identical clade and consequential from the identical family. The expression pattern is comparable to that comprehended in other fishes and provides extra data for molecular biological studies on hybrid grouper fish.