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Mol. Cells 2004; 18(2): 171-176
Published online January 1, 1970
© The Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology
EST Cloning and Expression of 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase in the Ascidian, Ciona intestinalis Testis
Ascidians have been employed as model organisms in investigating spermatogenesis. 17b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) is a steroidogenic enzyme essential for invertebrate spermatogenesis. A homologue of HSD was found in the EST database of Ciona intestinalis and cloned. Sequence analysis showed significant homology to zebra fish, sea urchin and human 17b-HSD. The gene has an open reading frame (ORF) of 918 nucleotides coding for a polypeptide of 306 amino acids and a calculated mass of 35-kDa. Immunoblotting with an antibody raised against HSD recognized a 35-kDa protein purified from the C. intestinalis testis. The HSD protein was localized in steroidogenic cells in the Ciona testis. These results suggest that C. intestinalis 17b-HSD is equivalent to the enzyme of vertebrate Leydig cells and that 17b-HSD could be a phylogenetic marker for organisms producing steroids.
Keywords 17b-HSD; Ciona intestinalis; Leydig Cell; Spermatogenesis; Steroid Hormone; Urochordata
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Research Article
Mol. Cells 2004; 18(2): 171-176
Published online October 31, 2004
Copyright © The Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
EST Cloning and Expression of 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase in the Ascidian, Ciona intestinalis Testis
Kang Hee Kho
Abstract
Ascidians have been employed as model organisms in investigating spermatogenesis. 17b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) is a steroidogenic enzyme essential for invertebrate spermatogenesis. A homologue of HSD was found in the EST database of Ciona intestinalis and cloned. Sequence analysis showed significant homology to zebra fish, sea urchin and human 17b-HSD. The gene has an open reading frame (ORF) of 918 nucleotides coding for a polypeptide of 306 amino acids and a calculated mass of 35-kDa. Immunoblotting with an antibody raised against HSD recognized a 35-kDa protein purified from the C. intestinalis testis. The HSD protein was localized in steroidogenic cells in the Ciona testis. These results suggest that C. intestinalis 17b-HSD is equivalent to the enzyme of vertebrate Leydig cells and that 17b-HSD could be a phylogenetic marker for organisms producing steroids.
Keywords: 17b-HSD, Ciona intestinalis, Leydig Cell, Spermatogenesis, Steroid Hormone, Urochordata
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