Similar gene structure of two Sox9a genes and their expression patterns during gonadal differentiation in a teleost fish, rice field eel (Monopterus albus)

Abstract

The Sox9 gene encodes a transcription factor that is critical for testis determination and chondrogenesis in vertebrates. Mutations in human SOX9 cause campomelic dysplasia, a dominant skeletal dysmorphology syndrome often associated with male to female sex reversal. Here we show that the Sox9a gene was duplicated during evolution of the rice field eel, Monopterus albus, a freshwater fish which undergoes natural sex reversal from female to male during its life, and has a haploid genome size (0.6-0.8 pg) that is among the smallest of the vertebrates. The duplicated copies of the gene (named Sox9al and Sox9a2) fit within the Sox9 clade of vertebrates, especially in the Sox9a subfamily, not in the Sox9b subfamily. They have similar structures as revealed by both genomic and cDNA analysis. Furthermore, both Sox9al and Sox9a2 are expressed in testis, ovary, and ovotestis; and specifically in the outer layer (mainly gonocytes) of gonadal epithelium with bipotential capacity to form testis or ovary, suggesting that they have similar roles in gonadal differentiation during sex reversal in this species. The closely related gene structure and expression patterns of the two sox9a genes in the rice field eel also suggest that they arose in recent gene duplication events during evolution of this fish lineage.