Molecular cloning of Pcc-dmrt1s and their specific expression patterns in Pengze crucian carp (Carassius auratus var. Pengze) affected by 17a-methyltestosterone Yao Zheng • Hongwei Liang • Peng Xu • Meng Li • Zaizhao Wang Received: 25 August 2013 / Accepted: 15 January 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Abstract Dmrt1, an important transcription factor associated with testicular differentiation, is conserved among teleost, which could also be detected in ovaries. In the present study, three isoforms of Pcc-dmrt1s (Pcc- dmrt1a, Pcc-dmrt1b and Pcc-dmrt1c) resulting from alternative splicing of the dmrt1 gene were cloned and characterized in the triploid gynogenetic fish, the Pengze crucian carp. Their mRNA expression profiling was investigated in juvenile developmental stages, tissues of the adult fish, and the juveniles under 84.2 ng/L 17a-methyltestosterone (MT) treatments. Results showed that their putative proteins shared high identities to Dmrt1 in cyprinid fish species. Gene expression profiling in the developmental stages showed that all the three target genes had a highest/lowest expression at 56/40 days post-hatching (dph), respec- tively. The period of 40 dph appeared to be a key time during the process of the ovary development of Pengze crucian carp. The tissue distribution results indicated that Pcc-dmrt1s were predominantly expressed in hepatopancreas, brain, spleen and ovary of the female fish. MT significantly increased the mRNA expression of Pcc-dmrt1a (all 4-week exposures) and Pcc-dmrt1b (except for week 2), while repressed Pcc-dmrt1c transcripts at all exposure period except for week 2. MT extremely significant repressed cyp19a1a tran- scripts for 1 week. The present study indicated that MT could influence the ovary development of Pengze crucian carp by disturbing gene expressions of Pcc- dmrt1s and cyp19a1a. Furthermore, the present study will be of great significance to broaden the understand- ing of masculinizing pathway during ovary develop- ment in gynogenetic teleost. Keywords 17a-Methyltestosterone Á Alternative splicing Á Dmrt1 Á Gynogenesis Á Pengze crucian carp Introduction Double sex and mab-3 (DM) gene is corresponded with sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster (Cho and Wensink 1996) and Caenorhabditis elegans (Shen and Hodgkin 1988). Double sex and mab-3- related transcription factor (dmrt) gene family, con- taining the DM domain DNA-binding motif, has been demonstrated to be associated with sex differentiation in a broad variety of vertebrates. Dmrt1 has been suggested to be the first conserved gene involved in sex differentiation found from invertebrates to human, Y. Zheng Á P. Xu Á M. Li Á Z. Wang (&) Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, 22 Xinong Road, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China e-mail: zzwang@nwsuaf.edu.cn H. Liang Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Wuhan 430223, Hubei, China 123 Fish Physiol Biochem DOI 10.1007/s10695-014-9911-1