Work

Two Cyp19 (P450 Aromatase) Genes on Duplicated Zebrafish Chromosomes Are Expressed in Ovary or Brain

Year: 2001

Type: article

Abstract: Cytochrome P450 aromatase (Cyp19) is an enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of estrogens, thereby controlling various physiological functions of estrogens. We isolated two cyp19 cDNAs, termed cyp19a and cyp19b, respectively, from zebrafish. These genes are located in linkage groups 18 and 25, respectively. Detailed gene mapping indicated that zebrafish linkage groups 18 and 25 may have arisen from the same ancestral chromosome by a chromosome duplication event. Cyp19a is expressed mainly in the follicular cells lining the vitellogenic oocytes in the ovary during vitellogenesis. Cyp19b is expressed abundantly in the brain, at the hypothalamus and ventral telencephalon, extending to the olfactory bulbs. The expression of duplicated cyp19 genes at two different tissues highlights the evolutionary significance of maintaining two active genes on duplicated zebrafish chromosomes for specific functions in the ovary and the brain.

Source: Molecular Biology and Evolution

DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003833

Authors: Evelyn Feng-Lin Chiang, Yi-Lin Yan, Yann Guiguen, John Postlethwait, Bon-chu Chung

Institutions: Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Academia Sinica, University of Oregon, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

Language: English

Topic: Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze