Gene Clone And Tissue Expression Of Duck MEF2 Gene Family

MEF2 factors belong to the MADS-Box family of transcriptional regulators.MEF2 genes are expressed in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells, which can activate the gene expression involved in muscle differentiation, maintain and regenerate of muscle celles. Untill now, The MEF2-binding sites have subsequently been identified in the control regions of nearly all genes regulating development of skeletal and cardiac muscle. In this study, the coding region sequence of four gene members in duck MEF2 gene family were cloned based on the sequence of mammalian MEF2 gene; and the developmental expression and the tissue-specific expression characterization of MEF2 genes in duck muscle were investigated by real-time fluorescent PCR. . The main results are as follows:The obtained MEF2A MEF2B, MEF2C sequences of duck are complete coding area (ORF) sequence, and their length is 1080bp, 1147bp, and 368bp respectively, coding 121, 359, and 492 amino acids, MEF2D only include initiation codon (ATG) , no termination codon (TAA), and its length is 900bp, coding 300 amino acids.The MEF2A ,MEF2C and MEF2D amino acid sequence of duck had the structure characters of MADS BOX and MEF2 conservative domain structure , and the MEF2B had the structure characters of NEP conservative domain.The results of real-time fluorescent PCR demonstrated that mRNA expression of duck MEF2A, MEF2B ,MEF2C and MEF2D was detected in breast muscle, leg muscle andheart in the stage from embryonic age 10 days(E10) to one week after born.In the duck breast muscle and leg muscles, MEF2A MEF2C and MEF2D gene expression have the same change trend with time, gradually increased from E10. when reached the highest expression , the expression gradually reduced. But MEF2B gene expression changes trend with time is contrary to the other three genes, radually decreased from E10. When reached the lowest expression at E22 , the expression of MEF2B gradually increased.In heart muscle ,the mRNA expression of MEF2A has no significant change trend in each period.From E10 to E18, the expression of MEF2B,MEF2C and MEF2D gradually increased. After E18, the expression of MEF2B,MEF2C and MEF2D had bid variation tendency.The expression of MEF2B and MEF2D gradually increased. MEF2A and MEF2C had a reduction of a short time at E22,then gradually increased from E27.