Molecular cloning and mRNA expression analysis of two GH secretagogue receptor transcripts in orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides)

GH secretagogue receptor (GHSR) is the receptor of ghrelin, a circulating GH-releasing and appetite-inducing hormone. In this paper, two Ghsr cDNAs, gpGhsr1a and gpGhsr1b, were identified and characterized in a teleost, the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides). The gpGHSK1a is 1512bp in length with an open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a protein of 383 amino acids with seven transmembrane (TM) domains, while the 1703 bp gpGHSK1b contains an ORF encoding for 303 amino acids with five TM domains. Comparison between cDNA and gene sequences showed that the two transcripts are two alternative splicing forms of a single gpGhsr gene. Tissue distribution and ontogeny of two gpGhsr mRNAs were examined by RT-PCR. The gpGHSK1a is mainly expressed in brain and pituitary gland, when compared with a more widespread expression of gpGHSR1b. During embryonic and larval development, the gpGhsr1b mRNA appears before the gpGhsr1a mRNA. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR performed on brain showed that both transcripts have the highest expression level in the pituitary gland. The expression level of gpGHSR1a was generally higher than that of gpGHSR1b. GHSR expressing cells were also detected widely in grouper brain by in situ hybridization, with a broader distribution than previous reports in mammals. Finally, an in vitro study showed that expression of both gpGHSR transcripts in pituitary and hypothalamus is downregulated by GH and ghrelin but not by des-acyl ghrelin, and this suggests that feedback regulation of GHSR also exists in teleostean fishes.