Myostatin (MSTN) is a member of the TGF-β superfamily that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal
muscle growth. A full-length, 2 180 bp, cDNA sequence of the myostatin gene from
Schizopygopsis pylzovi
was cloned
with RT-PCR,5'-RACE and 3'-RACE and the cDNA clone included a 1 128 bp ORF, encoding a 375 amino acid peptide.
Using PCR, we obtained the sequences of two introns of the
MSTN gene and found that its structure in
Schizopygopsis
pylzovi was similar to that of other vertebrates, including three exons and two introns. Likewise, the putative MSTN
peptide of
Schizopygopsis pylzovi contains a conserved RXXR proteolytic cleavage domain, and 8 conserved cysteine
residues in the C terminal of the protein, similar to other vertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the MSTN of
Schizopygopsis pylzovi has high homology with other cyprinid fishes, but a low homology with mammals and birds. In
the 9 examined tissues, the
MSTN gene was highly expressed in heart, kidney, intestine and spermary, while weakly
expressed in muscle, brain, fat, gill and hepatopancreas. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression
of
MSTN gene was different during embryo development, suggesting that the fish MSTN may not only play roles in
muscle development but also contribute to other biological functions.