科研之友
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摘要
beta-Catenin, a key transcriptional coactivator of the Wnt pathway, plays an important role in animal embryonic development and organogenesis. In our earlier study, we have reported that two types of beta-catenin (beta-catenin-1 and beta-catenin-2) were ubiquitously expressed in almost all the tissues examined in tilapia. However, the immunolocalization of beta-catenin in those tissues, especially in extra-gonadal tissues, remains unclear. In the present study, we further confirm that these two types of beta-catenin gene exist only in teleosts and are derived from 3R (third round of genome duplication) by phylogenetic and syntenic analyses. Moreover, the transcriptome analysis conducted in this investigation reveals that two beta-catenins exhibited similar expression patterns in seven adult tissues and four key developmental stages of XX and XY gonads. Finally, immunohistochemistry analysis was performed to detect the cell localization of beta-catenin. A positive signal of beta-catenin was observed in various tissues of tilapia, such as the intestine, liver, kidney, spleen, eye, brain, and gonads. The results of our study indicate that tilapia beta-catenin might be involved in the organ development and play some specific functions in biological processes; all these data will provide basic reference for understanding the molecular mechanism of beta-catenin in regulating of teleost organogenesis.
