Identification of ActivinβA and Gonadotropin Regulation of the Activin System in the Ovary of Chinese Sturgeon Acipenser sinensis

Activin is a dimeric growth factor with diverse biological activities in vertebrates. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory role of the activin signaling pathway in the ovary of the endangered, cultured sturgeon species Acipenser sinensis. One activin beta A subunit was identified, with a full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of 1572 base pairs. Multiple sequence alignment suggested that Activin beta A shared high sequence identities with its counterparts in four other sturgeon species. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the conserved evolution of Activin beta A among vertebrates from mammals to fish species. Transcripts of activin beta A were distributed ubiquitously in the liver, kidney, intestine, ovary, midbrain, hypothalamus, and pituitary, with the highest transcription found in the pituitary. In Chinese sturgeon ovarian cells, in vitro human recombinant Activin A incubation stimulated the activin system-related gene transcriptions of activin beta A, follistatin, its receptors -activinRIIA and activinRIIB, and drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic proteins (smads) smad2, smad3, and smad4. Ovary development-related mRNA levels of cyp19a1a and aromatase receptors of er alpha and er beta were enhanced by Activin A or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) incubation. Furthermore, 15 IU/mL hCG treatment increased the transcription levels of activin beta A, follistatin, activinRIIA, and smad2. This suggested that the activin system was functional for the regulation of ovary development in Chinese sturgeon, possibly under the regulation of gonadotropin, by recruiting activin beta A, follistatin, activinRIIA, and smad2. These results were helpful for the molecular exploration of activin signaling in fish species, as well as the ovarian maturation regulation of A. sinensis.