Structural and expression analysis of hepatic vitellogenin gene during ovarian maturation in Anguilla japonica

Vitellogenin (Vtg), the precursor molecule for yolk, is synthesized in the liver under estrogenic control. In all oviparous species, including fish, the process of vitellogenesis is crucial to subsequent embryonic development. This study attempted to obtain the cDNA encoding for Vtg from female Japanese eels, Anguilla japonica. Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to amplify Vtg cDNA prepared from liver extracts. Obtained PCR products were subcloned and sequenced. The overall sequence of eel Vtg cDNA isolated in this study contained 5395 bp nucleotides. This Vtg sequence encodes 1743 amino acids of the precursor molecule, and is entirely composed of the characteristic N-terminal lipovitellin-I region, an internal polyserine domain region, and a c-terminal lipovitellin-II region. The deduced amino acid sequence from these clones shares 34–61% identity with other teleost Vtgs. Northern blot assays of Vtg gene expression following hormonal treatment demonstrated that this Vtg is synthesized in the liver under stimulation by estradiol injection. However, Vtg synthesis may not be enhanced by salmon pituitary homogenate (SPH) induction for the developing ovarian follicles. Notably, the effect of methyltestosterone, following SPH injection, may be more appropriate for the uptake of Vtg by ovarian follicle maturation during the artificial maturation of Japanese female eels.