Brain Research Institutes, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia.
Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 11;7(1):7926. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08248-8.
The bactericidal/permeability-increasing (BPI) fold-containing (BPIF) superfamily of genes expressed in the brain are purportedly involved in modulating brain function in response to stress, such as inflammation. Kisspeptin, encoded by kiss, is affected by inflammation in the brain; therefore, BPIF family genes might be involved in the modulation of kisspeptin in the brain. In this study, we investigated the expression of BPIF family C, like (bpifcl) in zebrafish brain and its involvement in kiss2 regulation. The identified, full-length sequence of a bpifcl isoform expressed in the zebrafish brain contained the BPI fold shared by BPIF family members. bpifcl mRNA expression in female zebrafish brains was significantly higher than that in males. Exposure of female zebrafish to 11-ketotestosterone decreased bpifcl and kiss2 mRNA expression. bpifcl knockdown by bpifcl-specific small interfering RNA administration to female zebrafish brain decreased kiss2 mRNA expression. bpifcl expression was widely distributed in the brain, including in the dorsal zone of the periventricular hypothalamus (Hd). Furthermore, bpifcl was also expressed in KISS2 neurons in the Hd. These results suggest that the Bpifcl modulates kiss2 mRNA expression under the influence of testosterone in the Hd of female zebrafish.
脑内表达的杀菌/通透性增加（BPI）折叠含（BPIF）超家族基因据称参与调节大脑对应激（如炎症）的功能。由 kiss 编码的 kisspeptin 受大脑炎症的影响；因此，BPIF 家族基因可能参与调节大脑中的 kisspeptin。在这项研究中，我们研究了脑内 BPIF 家族 C 样（bpifcl）在斑马鱼中的表达及其在 kiss2 调节中的作用。在斑马鱼脑中表达的全长 bpifcl 异构体序列包含 BPIF 家族成员共有的 BPI 折叠。雌性斑马鱼脑中的 bpifcl mRNA 表达明显高于雄性。向雌性斑马鱼暴露 11-酮睾酮会降低 bpifcl 和 kiss2 mRNA 的表达。向雌性斑马鱼脑内注射 bpifcl 特异性小干扰 RNA 会降低 kiss2 mRNA 的表达。bpifcl 在大脑中广泛表达，包括室周下脑区（Hd）的背侧区。此外，bpifcl 也在 Hd 的 KISS2 神经元中表达。这些结果表明，Bpifcl 在雌性斑马鱼 Hd 中的 testosterone 影响下调节 kiss2 mRNA 的表达。
