Molecular cloning of the cDNAs encoding three somatostatin variants in the dogfish (Scylorhinus canicula)

Abstract It has been recently shown that the somatostatin gene family was likely composed of at least three paralogous genes in the common ancestor of all extant jawed vertebrates. These three genes, namely SS1, SS2 and SS5, are thought to have been generated through the two rounds of whole-genome duplications (2R) that took place early during the vertebrate evolution. In the present study, we report the cloning of three distinct somatostatin cDNAs from the dogfish Scylorhinus canicula, a member of the group of cartilaginous fish. We decided to call these cDNAs, at least provisionally, SSa, SSb and SSc, respectively. Two of them, SSa and SSb, encode proteins that both contain the same tetradecapeptide sequence at their C-terminal extremity (AGCKNFFWKTFTSC). This putative peptide is identical to that generated by the SS1 gene in other vertebrate species. The last cDNA, SSc, encodes a protein that contains at its C-terminal extremity the same peptide sequence as that generated by the SS2 gene in teleosts (APCKNFFWKTFTSC). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the SSa and SSc genes likely correspond to the dogfish counterparts of the SS1 and SS2 genes, respectively. In contrast, the phylogenetic status of the SSb gene is less clear. Several lines of evidence suggest that it could correspond to the SS5 gene, but this view will need to be confirmed, for example by synteny analysis. Finally, RT-PCR analysis revealed that SSa, SSb and SSc genes are differentially expressed in dogfish tissues, suggesting that the corresponding peptides may exert distinct functions.