Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of follicle-stimulating hormone beta polypeptide precursor cDNA from the bovine pituitary gland

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays an essential role in mammalian spermatogenesis and follicular development. In a previous study, we demonstrated that some bulls carry numerous linked mutations in the FSH beta-subunit (FSHB) gene, and that these bulls have poorquality semen, low fertility, and slightly lower serum FSH concentration compared to those without such mutations. Here, we identified the different FSHB mRNA transcripts in such individuals and analyzed the evolutionary pattern of the FSHB open reading frame (ORF) in different species. Two different lengths of FSHB mRNA transcripts corresponding to two different polyadenylation sites in the 3ꞌ-UTR were detected in wild-type bull pituitary glands, and four different mRNA transcripts resulting from the different polyadenylation sites and linked mutations were identified in mutation-bearing bull pituitaries. All transcripts had almost the same putative FSHB precursor molecule. When the ORF Molecular cloning and sequence analysis in the FSHB gene sequences of wild-type and mutation-bearing genes were compared with those of other tetrapod species, the leopard frog had the lowest level of homology (57.8 and 58.1%) and the buffalo had the highest level (95.9 and 96.7%), respectively. These results indicated that the bovine FSHB gene transcribes at least two classes of mRNA in the wild-type and four classes of mRNA in the mutation-bearing individuals, which provides a new insight into the bovine FSHB evolutionary pattern. In addition, these findings lay a foundation for further study of gene expression regulation and the effects of mutations on male fertility traits in cattle.

Identification of Polymorphism of FSH Beta-Subunit Gene as Sperm Quality Marker in Bali Cattle Using PCR-RFLP

“…The genetic factors influence on production and sperm quality have been reported by several studies (Kim et al, 1988;Fries, 1989). Dai et al (2009) and Dai et al (2011) examined the gene polymorphism FSH beta-sub unit of production and sperm quality in Simmental, Charolais and Limousin. Some researchers also associate the diversity of FSH beta-sub unit genes with litter size in sow (Yaofeng et al, 1998;Li et al, 2000;Li et al, 2008;Liu et al, 2009), sperm quality in boar (Wimmer et al, 2005;Lin et al, 2006), litter size in ewes (Xiaopeng et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2011) and equine sperm quality (Samper, 2010).…”

Naturally occurring genetic mutations in the 5′‐upstream regulatory region of bovine FSHB generate a novel cis‐regulatory element that affects its expression

“…Our previous studies demonstrated that bulls carrying numerous naturally occurring mutations in the 5 0 -upstream regulatory region (5 0 -URR) of FSHB (c.-1166G>A, c.-1539_-1538delGGinsTTAACT, c.-1596C>A, c.-1724C>A and c.-1778C>A) had poor-quality semen, low fertility and reduced serum FSH levels compared with those without such mutations (Dai et al 2009). In addition, two different FSHB transcripts resulting from 23 linked mutations of genomic DNA have been identified in mutationbearing bull pituitaries (Dai et al 2011). However, the underlying mechanism that is involved is still unclear.…”