The expressions of gata2 and gata6 in the Chinese giant salamander and their response to Estradiol benzoate/17α - methyltestosterone treatment

Abstract Gata2 and gata6 genes are both important in mammalian germ cell differentiation, but their function in Chinese giant salamander (CGS, Andrias davidianus) has not been reported yet. To explore the expression of gata2/6 in CGS and its response to sex steroids, we cloned the CDS of gata2/6 gene in CGS for the first time. Results are as follows: the CGS gata2 cDNA fragment was 1408 bp, it contained 10 bp 5' UTR, 3 bp 3' UTR and 1395 bp open reading frame (ORF) which encoded a 464 amino acid polypeptide; the CGS gata6 cDNA fragment was 1610 bp, containing 44 bp 5' UTR, 29 bp 3' UTR and 1537 bp ORF which encoded a 511 amino acid polypeptide. qRT-PCR results showed that gata2 was expressed in CGS’s heart, liver, spleen, stomach, lung, intestine, skin, kidney, muscle, pituitary, and gonad, and was highly and significantly expressed in testes. After treatment with estradiol benzoate (EB) and 17α-methyltestosterone (MT), CGS gata2 expression was significantly inhibited by EB, but showed no significant change with MT treatment. As to gata6, it was expressed in all tissues tested and highly expressed in mesodermal tissues like heart, intestine, and stomach. And after treatment with EB and MT, it was shown that both of them could significantly suppress the expression of gata6. In addition, gata2 expression in the testis and ovary was sexually dimorphic. These results suggest that gata2/6 may be important in gonadal maturation and reproductive cycle of CGS. This study lays the foundation for further research on its reproduction.