Identification and functional characterization of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is an important neuropeptide in the reproductive system. Although GnRH analogues have been used to artificially spawn pompano (Trachinotus sp.), the native forms of GnRH have not been described in this species. In this study three GnRH subtypes [sea bream GnRH (sbGnRH), chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) and salmon GnRH (sGnRH)] were identified in pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). cgnrh-II and sgnrh were mainly expressed in the brain of male and female fish, showing a tissue-specific expression pattern, while sbgnrh was expressed at different transcriptional levels in all tested tissues. In vivo injection experiment showed that sbGnRH significantly increased fsh and lh genes expression in a dose-dependent manner, but a high concentration of sbGnRH could desensitize the expression of lh. High concentrations of cGnRH-II and sGnRH could induce the expression of fsh and lh. In addition, the results of in vitro incubation experiments showed that the high concentration of sbGnRH peptide could induce the expression of fsh and lh, while cGnRH-II and sGnRH peptides could only induce the expression of fsh. 17 beta-estradiol (E-2) and 17 alpha-methyltestosterone (MT) significantly inhibited sbgnrh mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner, but did not affect the expression of cgnrhII and sgnrh mRNA. sbGnRH is the main GnRH subtype in pompano. E-2 and MT can play a negative role in the regulation of sbgnrh. This study provides a theoretical basis for the reproductive endocrinology of pompano.