Ontogeny of somatolactin mRNA in the gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata

Abstract

Expression of somatolactin (SL) gene during embryonal and early stages of larval development of the teleost Sparus aurata was determined by Northern blot analysis. Poly(A+)RNA was prepared from a pool of embryos collected at early and late stages or from larvae collected on different days after hatching. When hybridized to Sparus aurata SL cDNA, SL specific mRNA was seen both in embryos and in larvae. Levels of SL increased from day 1 onwards and reached the highest levels on day 21. Re-hybridization with Sparus aurata growth hormone (GH) cDNA revealed GH specific mRNA first on day 6 post-hatching. Levels of GH increased to maximal levels on day 10 and then decreased on days 15 and 21, thereby confirming the pattern of GH expression (Funkenstein and Cohen 1996). The patterns of SL and GH gene expression are different in gilthead sea bream during embryonal and larval development. Furthermore, the presence of SL transcript in embryos, prior to pituitary gland development, suggests the possibility that SL mRNA of maternal origin may be present in the oocyte.