Spatio-temporal expression pattern and fasting response of follistatin gene in teleost Larimichthys crocea

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Follistatin is a multifunctional regulatory protein involved in numerous physiological activities. To better understand its functions in Larimichthys crocea (L. crocea), the entire cDNA sequence of follistatin from L. crocea was cloned, the transcript abundance of follistatin was measured at different development stages and in different gender. A fasting-refeeding protocol was also performed to correlate follistatin tissue expression with nutritional status in the juvenile stage of L. crocea. The results showed that follistatin transcripts were weakly detected before gastrula stage (9 h post-fertilization; hpf), and at the highest level at myogenesis stage (15 hpf) and 30 days after hatching (30 dah). In adult fish, follistatin transcripts were observed in all the ten tissues examined and most abundant in eye, gill, muscle, brain and intestine. Moreover, the abundance of follistatin transcripts in most tissues was influenced by the age and gender. During fasting and refeeding period, the regulatory response of follistatin in muscle, liver, gonad, spleen and brain of L. crocea varied greatly. Altogether, these findings support the evidence that follistatin plays a profound role in the teleost development and that it is an indispensable factor for the survival of teleosts when challenged with environmental stresses like fasting.