Cloning of PGRMC1 Gene and Comparative Analysis ofIts Expression in Tissues Related to Reproductionbetween Yak and Cattle

Purpose Progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1) plays important roles in regulation of animal reproduction, therefore, we aimed to study the sequence and expression characteristics of PGRMC1 gene in yak.

Method Hypothalami, pituitaries, ovaries, oviducts and uteri were collected from 5 female yaks and 5 cows. The primers were designed by using mRNA sequence of Bos taurus PGRMC1 gene published in GenBank. The PGRMC1 gene was cloned by RT-PCR and the sequences were analyzed by using related bioinformatics software. The expression levels of the gene in different tissues were detected by qRT-PCR.

Result The cDNA sequences of PGRMC1 gene (GenBank accession No.: MF803753 and MF803754) were cloned for yak and cattle, and the coding area (CDS) was 585 bp in length, encoding 194 amino acids. The encoding protein contained a Cyt-b5 conserved domain. The results of qRT-PCR analysis showed that PGRMC1 gene was expressed in the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, oviduct and uterus of yak and cattle. The expression of PGRMC1 in the pituitary was significantly different (P<0.05) between yak and cattle, but there was no difference in other tissues between these two species. The expression levels ofPGRMC1 in ovary and pituitary of yak were significantly higher than that in other tissues of yaks (P<0.05).

Conclusion The result indicated that PGRMC1 gene may play an important role in the yak reproduction of follicular development, estrus and ovulation.