Cloning and expression analysis of Foxl2 during the reproductive cycle in Korean rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli

Foxl2 is a member of the winged helix/forkhead family of transcription factors and is known to regulate ovarian aromatase, which plays a crucial role in ovarian differentiation. To address the role of Foxl2 in gonads and brain during gonadal development, we isolated the full-length cDNA of Foxl2 and analyzed its spatiotemporal expression patterns in the viviparous teleost Korean rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli. Tissue distribution pattern revealed that the Foxl2 was detected in the liver, fat, gill, brain, and ovary, but could hardly be found in the testis. Reverse transcriptase PCR suggested that Foxl2 in Korean rockfish may involve in ovary development in the study of expression level during gonads development. It also revealed that the stage of highest expression level for Foxl2 was almost much earlier than cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b during the gonadal development stage in gonads and brain except for cyp19a1a in brain. Furthermore, the expression pattern of Foxl2 as well as aromatases may imply the role of Foxl2 in the up-regulation of aromatases not only in the female fish but also in male.