Meeting Abstract
Teleost fish progestogens play important roles in reproduction, including initiating oocyte maturation, sperm maturation and motility, and functioning as pheromones in some species. Teleost progestogens activate progesterone receptors and function through genomic pathways via nuclear receptors and non-genomic pathways via membrane progesterone receptors (mPRα, mPRβ, mPRγ -1, and mPRγ -2) and progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1). Here, we cloned the complete ORFs of the four mPRs and provide initial characterization of protein architecture and molecular phylogeny. We also studied the ontogenic expression of mPRs in whole embryos, larvae, and young juveniles and in tissues collected from older juvenile to adult life history stages. The expression of the mPRs was measured with quantitative PCR using SYBR green chemistry. Tissue types included juvenile head, juvenile trunk; and brain, pituitary, gonad, liver, intestine, heart, skeletal muscle, trunk kidney, and gill in subadult to adults. Fathead minnow mPRs appear structurally similar to mPRs in other species and for each receptor, appropriately cluster with closely related species in the phylogenetic analysis. Expression patterns of the mPRs were relatively broad, but there were interesting life stage and sex differences suggesting specific roles for those mPRs in the regulation of some physiological processes. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first sequence information for fathead minnow mPRs and the most comprehensive examination of the developmental expression of mPR genes in a teleost fish. Funding Source: Morris Animal Foundation grants to EFO and LEE (D12ZO-046) and EFO (D14ZO-010).
