Molecular cloning and expression pattern of myostatin gene in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco)

Myostatin (Mstn), a member of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily, plays crucial roles in negative regulation of muscle growth. Yellow catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco Richardson, is one of the most important freshwater aquaculture species in China, but little is known about its genes relate to growth. Here we report molecular cloning and expression pattern of Mstn gene in yellow catfish. Our results reveal that yellow catfish Mstn comprises three exons encoding a protein of 393 amino acid residues. Protein sequence alignments show that the Mstn exhibits 94% amino acid identity with other catfish Mstn and 59.3% identity with cattle Mstn, respectively. Moreover, the predicted bioactive form of yellow catfish Mstn shares 100% identity with other catfish and 87.1% identity with cattle Mstn respectively. Employing reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, we demonstrated that the yellow catfish Mstn gene is expressed in a variety of tissues with varied levels.