VITELLOGENIN DIVERSITY IN THE PERCIFORMES

Vitellogenin variation was studied in 11 species of Perciformes encompassing the families Cichlidae, Serranidae, Lutjanidae, Centropomidae, and Eleotrididae. Despite the enormous morphological and ecological diversity that characterizes this order of teleosts, northern blot analysis revealed that the Oreochromis aureus vitellogenin gene probe will recognize estradiol-induced vitellogenin messenger RNA of distant percoid relatives under stringent conditions of hybridization, suggesting that the vitellogenin gene is well conserved at least within the suborder Percoidei. Multiple vitellogenin gene transcripts were detected in the Cichlidae and these are correlated with the finding of multiple vitellogenin protein monomers in this family. In other families of non-cichlid percoids, only one vitellogenin transcript, and, correspondingly, a single vitellogenin monomer was observed. No cross hybridization was, however, observed with a representative of the suborder Gobioidei. The pattern of protein bands seen in SDS-PAGE also differed. The main features of vitellogenin protein diversity in the Perciformes are interfamily variability in size and subunit number.